Survivor: Feudal Japan
by Crazy Packers Fan
Summary: Jet Black hosts as 16 characters from 8 animes - Evangelion, Pokemon, Tenchi, Sailor Moon, InuYasha, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto - compete in feudal Japan to be the sole survivor!
1. Where Are We, Anyway?: Days 1, 2, 3

Survivor: Feudal Japan

Survivor: Feudal Japan

Jet Black is standing just outside the Bone Eater's Well on the Higurashi shrine, with a whole bunch of characters lined up at the well, waiting to jump in.

"Welcome to Survivor: Feudal Japan," Jet announces. "These 16 characters from 8 different anime series are about to attempt to outwit, outplay and outlast each other in order to win a large sum of money. They are about to enter the Bone Eater's Well and be sent back 500 years to Feudal Japan, where all sorts of dangers await them. Which one of these players will be able to outlast all the others, and become the sole survivor?"

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing all the characters of the series, who are:

Asuka Langley Soryu, from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Shinji Ikari, from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Makoto Kino, from Sailor Moon

Ami Mizuno, from Sailor Moon

Sasami, from Tenchi Muyo

Tenchi Masaki, from Tenchi Muyo

Ash Ketchum, from Pokemon

Brock, from Pokemon

Orihime Inoue, from Bleach

Toshiro Hitsugaya, from Bleach

Sango, from InuYasha

Kagome Higurashi, from InuYasha

Alex Louis Armstrong, from Fullmetal Alchemist

Edward Elric, from Fullmetal Alchemist

Naruto Uzumaki, from Naruto

Temari, from Naruto

Note: When a character speaks to the camera in a confessional, it is noted in _italics_; any confessional statements are assumed to be made later in the day and not heard by any other character; they are edited portions of the program meant to show the characters' thoughts at that particular moment.

_Where Are We, Anyway?_

Day 1

The 16 characters all make it over to feudal Japan, joined by the host, Jet Black. All of them are anxious to find out which tribe they will be part of.

"Okay," says Jet Black. "Our first tribe is the Jurai tribe, which consists of Asuka, Shinji, Makoto, Ami, Sasami, Tenchi, Ash and Brock!"

"What?!" Asuka shouts. "I have to be with him? Oh, this is so unfair!"

"Are you meaning me?" asks Shinji.

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka asks. "Of course I'm referring to you! I just can't believe I'm going to be forced to work with you again!"

"Yay!" Sasami says. "I get to be with Tenchi!"

Jet tries to calm down the chattering Jurai tribe. "All right, all right," he says. "Now obviously our other tribe- the Seireitei tribe- is made up of the remaining players- Orihime, Toshiro, Sango, Kagome, Armstrong, Edward, Naruto and Temari!"

"I'm happy to be able to work with you, Kagome," Sango says.

"Yeah, especially without that annoying InuYasha around," Kagome replies.

"I don't care who's part of my tribe- I'm going to win it all, believe it!" Naruto shouts.

"All right, all right, let's settle down," Jet says, motioning with his hand. "I am giving maps to the places at which your tribes will set up their temporary homes. Now who wants the maps?"

It is a poor decision by Jet, as every single character is clamoring to be given the map for their tribe.

"Okay, never mind that," Jet replies. "I'll just choose myself who gets the maps… Mr. Armstrong, you shall take the map for your tribe!"

Jet hands the map to Armstrong. "Thank you very much," Armstrong tells him. "With these muscles, there's no way this tribe will go wrong!"

Jet then looks over to the other tribe, looking to see to whom he should give the map. "Ami," he announces. "You shall take the map for your tribe!"

"Thank you, sir," Ami says, taking the map.

"Why don't I get to lead?" Asuka asks Shinji. "You know who that girl reminds me of?"

"Who?" Shinji asks.

"That Wonder Girl Ayanami!" Asuka replies. "All quiet and thinking she's so much better than everyone else! Oh… it annoys me so much!"

Jet also hands large barrels of rice to Tenchi and Toshiro to carry.

"Let me take that," Armstrong tells Toshiro, taking the barrel of rice off the short Soul Reaper. "These muscles can easily handle this barrel while I direct this team!"

"Okay," Jet says in a louder voice. "Now we are all ready for Survivor: Feudal Japan to begin! Just remember, you'll be getting a reminder tomorrow about the immunity challenge in a couple days. Until then, good luck!"

Jurai Tribe

Ami is leading the pack of players, with Makoto standing close behind her, helping her with the instructions. In the back of the pack, Asuka is complaining about something to Shinji, while Ash is talking with Sasami.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" Ash asks Sasami, referring to Ryo-ohki, which she is holding. He pulls out his Pokédex.

"Information not available," the Pokédex says. "Creature not a Pokémon."

"I don't know what a Pokémon is," Sasami tells Ash. "This is Ryo-ohki!"

"Meow!" Ryo-ohki says.

"Oh, well, this is a Pokémon here," Ash responds, showing Sasami his Pikachu. "It's Pikachu!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu says.

While Tenchi watches Ryo-ohki and Pikachu talk to each other, Brock has something entirely different on his mind. He walks up to Makoto and grabs her hand.

"My heart has led me to you," Brock tells her. "A beautiful girl like you is perfect for a man like me."

"What's your problem?" Makoto asks, stepping away from Brock, who finds his ear being pulled by Ash.

"Boy, I'm used to having someone else do this for me," Ash tells Brock. "I didn't know I was going to have to make you behave."

Ami continues to lead the pack of players on the way to their destination. As they walk, they come up to a large floating snake-like creature.

"Wh-what's that?" Sasami asks.

"I don't know, Sasami," Tenchi replies.

"It would appear to me that we have come across a demon," Ami announces.

"A-a demon?" Sasami says. "Protect me, Tenchi!"

"Don't worry!" Ash states. "Pikachu will help us. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu says, letting out a large Thunderbolt attack against the demon. However, it does not collapse.

"Well, Mr. Hero," Asuka tells Ash, "what are you going to do now?"

Brock reaches into his pocket and pulls out his only Poké Ball. "We were allowed one comfort item, and this is mine! Go, Onix!" he shouts.

Brock sends out his Onix. Onix wrestles with the demon, as the two wrap around each other.

"Go ahead, Ash," Brock tells Ash. "Have your Pikachu attack again. It won't hurt my Onix, because it's part Ground-type."

"Right," Ash responds. "Pikachu, use Thunder!"

Pikachu launches its Thunder attack at the demon, causing it to collapse to the ground and disappear.

"_Is that all?"_ Makoto says. "_If these enemies at this place are that easy to defeat, without Ami or I even having to transform, then this competition is going to be a cinch."_

Seireitei Tribe

The tribe members are following Armstrong closely, hoping that he is leading them in the right direction, something that Temari begins to doubt.

"Let me see that thing," she says, taking the map off him. "Yeah, as I thought- we're going the wrong way!"

The other players groan, while Armstrong scratches his head. "Hmmm… I can't believe that these muscles would actually be wrong!" he states.

"Muscles? I don't get it," Temari replies. "I guess I'm going to have to lead, because Macho Man here doesn't know what he's doing."

In the back of the pack, Toshiro is talking with Orihime.

"Now I just want to let you know, that you must leave all the fighting to me," he tells her. "Ichigo was adamant in telling me this before we left."

"Ichigo?" Orihime asks, with a bit of a blush on her face. "That's good to hear."

"What I'm more concerned about is the paperwork that's going to pile up in the Squad 10 barracks," Toshiro replies. "Because I know for sure that Rangiku isn't going to do it…"

Meanwhile, Sango and Kagome are talking about their friends.

"I really hope InuYasha doesn't do anything stupid while I'm gone," Kagome tells Sango.

"I wouldn't worry about him," Sango replies. "What I'm worried about is that monk… if he dares touch another woman…"

"Oh no," Kagome says. "What if InuYasha decides to go through the well and visit my family while I'm gone? I can't have him bothering my family and friends like that!"

"Trust me, InuYasha will be fine," Sango responds. "He and Miroku just need to take good care of Shippo."

Meanwhile, Naruto is running around, trying to get people's attention.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me!" he is saying, with an annoyed-looking Edward Elric staring at him. "I'm going to be the next Hokage! Believe it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but all I can say is that you better not get in my way," Ed tells him. "You probably don't know the power of alchemy."

"Alchemy? Huh? What's that?" Naruto asks.

"Give me your comfort item," Ed tells Naruto.

Naruto hands Ed a shuriken.

"Watch this," Ed tells Naruto.

He claps his hands together, then touches the shuriken. It is transformed into a miniature metallic statue of Naruto.

"Wow! How did you do that?" Naruto asks.

"The law of Equivalent Exchange," Ed explains. "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost."

Naruto is scratching his head, looking at Ed in a confused manner.

"Yeah, sure," Naruto says.

Ed then claps his hands again, touching the statue, turning it back into a shuriken.

"Here you go," he tells Naruto.

"Wow, thanks," Naruto replies.

Temari continues to lead the tribe along the way, passing through a forest and beside several streams as they do. Along the way, Temari accidentally kicks an unsuspecting Jaken.

"What was that for?" Jaken asks her.

"Oh, sorry, little toad," she tells him. "But you better stay out of my way."

"Stay out of your way? You're passing through Lord Sesshomaru's territory!" Jaken shouts. "Lord Sesshomaru will not be happy with you! I'm going to tell him right away!"

"Yeah, yeah," Temari replies, ignoring him.

The tribe continues walking through the forest, getting very close to the place marked on the map. All the characters are still talking to each other, not really paying attention to their surroundings, until Temari walks right into Sesshomaru.

"Where are you going?" he asks coldly.

"Uh, sir, we have to reach our tribe's home base," Temari answers him. "It's for our competition."

"This is my territory," Sesshomaru replies. "You shall not pass."

"Hey, are you sure we went the right way?" Ed asks Temari. "Maybe Major Armstrong was right all along."

"No, I'm sure this is the path we're supposed to take," Temari answers Ed. "This guy is just standing in our way."

"You shall turn around and leave this area," Sesshomaru says.

Sango and Kagome then step up to Sesshomaru.

"This is part of a game we're playing," Kagome explains to him. "We're not trespassing at all- in fact InuYasha's far away from here."

"So I see," Sesshomaru replies. "I don't trust some of the people I see before me- especially that white-haired pipsqueak."

"Hey, I'm no pipsqueak!" Ed shouts. "I'm not that short! You stop insulting me because of my height! You'll pay for saying something like that!"

"I wasn't speaking about you, boy," Sesshomaru replies. "But come to think of it, you are pretty short."

Ed's face turns red, as he becomes absolutely furious. Meanwhile, Toshiro steps up to face Sesshomaru.

"Is there a problem?" Toshiro asks.

"I believe there is," Sesshomaru replies. "It's you."

"I don't want to have to fight you, but if I must, I will," Toshiro says. He prepares to pull out his zanpakuto.

"Don't dare pull out that blade," Sesshomaru tells Toshiro. "If you do, I will have to kill you."

"I'm sure that wouldn't be the case," Toshiro replies.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kagome says. "We don't need a fight here! We're only here as part of a game, and this boy is no threat to you, Sesshomaru."

"If this boy wants to fight, he is going to get one," Sesshomaru tells Kagome.

Kagome walks over to Toshiro and whispers something in his ear. Toshiro then reluctantly takes his hand off his zanpakuto.

"Fine, then, there will be no fight," Toshiro states. "We only want to get through to our home base area."

"As you wish," Sesshomaru says. "But I warn you- if you even think about attacking me, I will be forced to destroy you."

"I understand," Toshiro replies.

Sesshomaru then steps to the side, allowing the eight players to walk past him, along their way to their home base.

Jurai Tribe

Asuka is becoming increasingly impatient with the progress of the tribe's journey towards their camp.

"What is it with blue-haired quiet girls who think they know everything?" she asks Ami angrily. "Excuse me, Wonder Girl, but do you know where you're going?"

"Yes, according to my calculations, we are on the correct path," Ami responds.

"Well, it seems like it's taking an awfully long time to me," Asuka replies. "And I don't think we would have run into those things had we been on the right path."

Makoto steps up to Asuka. "Leave her alone," she tells her. "I'm sure Ami knows what she is doing."

"Now we just must travel approximately 300 yards to the northeast," Ami says. "Then we shall reach our camp."

Asuka crosses her arms angrily. "Can you believe this?" she asks Shinji. "Some people always think they're right."

This statement causes Shinji to laugh. "What's so funny?" Asuka questions him. "Something funny about what I said?"

"Oh, nothing," Shinji replies, continuing to chuckle about Asuka's hypocritical statement.

Meanwhile, Sasami, Tenchi, Ash and Brock are watching Ryo-ohki play with Pikachu.

"Pikachu makes friends pretty quickly," Ash says.

"Ryo-ohki looks like she's having fun," Sasami adds.

"Our camp!" Tenchi exclaims, seeing that Ami has led the tribe to their camp area.

The tribe members are excited upon finally reaching their camp. It is a wooded area near a stream, with lots of bushes and trees surrounding them. They immediately go to work on building a shelter for themselves. Brock and Ash begin picking up as many logs as they can and bringing them over to Tenchi, who begins to put things together with the help of Makoto and Shinji. Sasami and Ami begin to gather fruits from the nearby wildlife, hoping to get enough food for the tribe to eat. But Asuka just sits in the shade, not working at all.

"Hey, aren't you going to help?" Shinji asks Asuka.

"Are you dense?" Asuka asks. "I'm a girl. You men should be doing the work for me!"

"It's a team game. Everyone should help," Brock says. "Even Ash's Pikachu and Ryo-ohki are helping pick up small logs."

Asuka watches as Pikachu and Ryo-ohki struggle to lug a log over to the pile of logs near Tenchi.

"That isn't the type of work a girl should do," Asuka responds.

"Even the other girls are helping!" Ash protests.

"Well, I guess they aren't very ladylike," Asuka replies.

"_This girl shouldn't be hard to vote out right away," Ash says._

The angry tribe members ignore Asuka and continue to work. Tenchi begins building things together, with Makoto and Shinji's help, while Ash and Brock gather branches. Eventually they put together a pretty nice shelter, complete with branches full of leaves as coverings over it, and a firm foundation. Sasami and Ami bring over a large pile of fruit, placing it underneath their shelter.

"Okay, now what we need is a fire, so we can cook the rice," Tenchi says. "Let's gather some logs and build a fire."

Tenchi, Ash and Brock begin gathering logs together, making a nice large pile of them.

"Now how are we going to start the fire?" Shinji asks.

"That's easy enough," Ash replies. "All we need is a spark. Pikachu, give us some electricity!"

"Pik-a-chu!" Pikachu says, giving some electricity to the pile of wood. A fire starts immediately, and all the other tribe members begin to clap- save for Asuka.

"Well, it's a pretty good start," Makoto says. "All we need to do now is prepare for our immunity challenge."

Most of the players begin to rest, while Tenchi begins cooking some rice, as the sun begins to set.

Seireitei Tribe

"We're here!" Kagome exclaims happily, upon reaching the camp area.

The camp area is very similar to the Jurai tribe's area, only with more rocks surrounding this one.

"Thanks to me, we're here," Temari says. "And no thanks to Macho Man."

"Are you insulting these muscles?" Armstrong asks. "I think you underestimate their strength!"

"Yeah, yeah," Temari responds.

"Okay, now to go to work on building us a shelter," Toshiro mentions. "This may take a lot of work."

"Not really," Ed replies. "Gather me a large amount of wood, and I'll do the rest."

So the tribe members begin to gather together as many logs and branches as they could, putting them in a large pile. Only Armstrong knows what Ed is planning to do with them; the others are confused on how such a short person such as Ed can do. Toshiro expresses his doubts to Ed personally.

"You're shorter than me, and you think you can put this altogether by yourself?" he asks Ed. "Let the strong man do it."

"Are you calling me short?" Ed responds to Toshiro. "I think I'm taller than you!"

"I don't think so!" Toshiro argues.

The two then begin stanaing on their toes, trying to stand above the other. Both continue to argue over which one is taller than the other, while the rest of their tribe members continue to gather a large amount of wood.

"Hey, want to help us?" Naruto asks the arguing short characters.

"Sure, in just a moment," Toshiro replies.

"By the way, I think I'm taller than both of you," Naruto adds.

This causes both Toshiro and Ed to grow angry, as both of their faces turn red and they start yelling at Naruto.

"Hey, hey, I'm just saying," Naruto states.

The players then go back to putting logs and branches in the pile. After a large enough pile of wood is gathered, Ed tells the other tribe members to stand aside.

"Watch this," he says.

He claps his hands together, then touches the ground in front of the pile of wood. Within seconds, the wood is transformed into a log cabin. The other characters besides Armstrong all look at it with amazement.

"Wow!" Orihime exclaims. "He uses magic!"

"This is alchemy," Ed responds. "A simple matter of Equivalent Exchange."

Some of the tribe members run inside the cabin with excitement. Armstrong, Ed and Temari, meanwhile, take a smaller pile of wood that was left out of the transmutation, and with a little help of Ed's alchemy, are able to start a fire.

"Now I'll cook the rice for the rest of you," Armstrong says.

"That's nice of you," Temari responds.

"_These two would be the perfect two members to begin an alliance with," Temari says._

Ed and Temari join the others inside the log cabin, where the tribe members decide to try to get to know each other.

"My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya," Toshiro says, "captain of Squad 10 of the Soul Society. And I'm definitely taller than that pipsqueak."

"I think not," Ed responds angrily. "My name is Edward Elric, and I am a State Alchemist. And currently cooking our rice is Major Armstrong, whom I work with in the military."

Naruto walks into the middle of the room, in order to get the most attention. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he says, "and I'm going to be the next Hokage! Then everyone will have to stop disrespecting me and treat me like I'm somebody! Believe it!"

Temari rolls her eyes. "My name is Temari," she says. "I'm from the Village Hidden in the Sand. I have a couple of brothers…"

She is cut off by Orihime. "What's the big fan for?" Orihime asks.

"This is my weapon," Temari responds. "We were all allowed to bring one comfort item, and I decided to bring along this, so I can fight against any opponent I may come up against."

"Oh, okay," Orihime says in her usual carefree style. "I'm Orihime Inoue, and I am a student at Karukura High School. I really like cooking… maybe I'll be able to cook something for everyone!"

"That sounds nice," Kagome replies, not knowing anything about Orihime's bizarre food preferences. "I'm Kagome Higurashi, and from what I'm told, I'm a reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo, who was in love with InuYasha, and…"

Kagome's voice trails off as she begins to sniff, feeling jealousy over Kikyo's love for InuYasha. The other characters besides Sango look at each other in confusion, not understanding anything of what she just said.

"And I'm Sango, a demon slayer," Sango says to the tribe. "I use this boomerang for the purpose of killing demons."

The tribe members are interrupted by Armstrong.

"The rice is ready!" he announces. "These muscles have prepared the meal!"

Armstrong begins to serve the other members of his tribe small bowls of rice.

_"This guy's pretty nice," Kagome says. "I hope he stays around for a while."_

Jurai Tribe

It was now nighttime, and the contestants are sitting around the fire, introducing themselves to each other. They are seated in this order, clockwise: Asuka, Shinji, Tenchi, Sasami, Ash, Brock, Makoto and Ami. Most of them are chatting quietly to each other, before Asuka decides to stand up and get attention.

"I'm Asuka," Asuka announces. "Asuka Langley Soryu. Charmed, huh?"

Shinji looks embarrassed as all the other tribe members give Asuka cold stares.

"So, what makes you so great?" Makoto asks Asuka.

"Why, I'm an Eva pilot!" Asuka exclaims. "I pilot Eva-02, and I'm clearly the best at it, although this boy Shinji here is always trying to be the hero. And then I'm forced to work with that Wonder Girl… oh, I can't stand it!"

The other players look at each other in wonder, having no idea what this "Eva" thing is. Meanwhile, Shinji sits with his head resting on his knees, feeling quite annoyed from Asuka's boasting.

"So, you work with Asuka?" Makoto asks.

"Yes," Shinji replies sheepishly. "I don't like it, though. I do it because I have to… it's my way of proving my worth to my father."

"Your father doesn't think you're worth much?" Ami asks.

"He only calls for me when he has a use for me!" Shinji moans. "I hate him!"

"Sounds a little harsh to me," Ami replies.

"You don't understand!" Shinji whines.

The entire tribe goes silent for a minute, making it a very awkward moment for everyone involved.

"Okay…" says Tenchi. "I guess I'll introduce myself… I'm Tenchi Masaki, and next to me is Sasami, with Ryo-ohki."

"What is Ryo-ohki?" Brock asks Sasami. "Is it a cat, or a rabbit, or what?"

"She's a cabbit," Sasami answers. "She loves carrots… right, Ryo-ohki?"

"Meow!" Ryo-ohki responds.

"Can your Ryo-ohki do anything special, like my Pikachu?" Ash asks.

"Oh yes!" Sasami replies. "Watch this!"

"Sasami, no!" Tenchi exclaims.

Tenchi lunges toward Ryo-ohki, trying to stop Sasami, but it is too late. Sasami throws Ryo-ohki into the air, and she turns into a spaceship.

"Wow!" Ash exclaims. "That's amazing!"

"Very impressive," Ami states.

"Hmmph, such a showoff," Asuka says.

Shinji looks worried. "Um, is that thing ever going to come down?" he asks.

"Oh, sure!" Sasami responds. "Look, Ryo-ohki, I have a carrot here!"

"MEOW!" Ryo-ohki cries, quickly turning back into her cabbit form, coming down to the ground, whereupon she quickly begins munching on the carrot.

Makoto then turns to Ash. "So, tell us about yourself," she says to him.

"I'm Ash Ketchum, and I'm going to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master!" Ash declares proudly. "And this is my best Pokémon, Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says.

Brock then wiggles his way over towards Makoto. "I'm Brock," he says, "and I'd just love to be your boyfriend… or even better, your husband!"

Makoto quickly stands up and walks over to Tenchi, sitting down on the other side of him, away from Brock.

"You stay away from me!" she tells Brock. "I'd rather sit by Tenchi!"

"Anything for you," Brock replies, with hearts in his eyes.

"So, what about you two?" a rather embarrassed-looking Tenchi asks. "What are your names?"

"I'm Makoto Kino, and this is Ami Mizuno," Makoto speaks up, with a bit of a blush. "And we- um, well, we're, uh-"

"We're middle school students," Ami breaks in. "There's nothing else to say, really."

The other players look at each other, wondering if Ami is really telling the truth. Asuka, in fact, gets angry about their comments.

"If there's nothing special about you, then why are you even here?" Asuka asks.

"I don't know, maybe we're just lucky," Makoto responds, not knowing what to say.

_"I can't let them know our secret," Makoto says. "Even if it does make us look sort of bad."_

Tenchi yawns. "Well, I'm going to sleep," he announces.

"Me too," Sasami adds.

"We might as well all go to bed," Ash says.

The characters all return to their shelter, hoping to get some sleep.

Seireitei Tribe

The tribe members are all lying inside the log cabin, and thanks to Ed's alchemy, they all have blankets and pillows made out of bunches of leaves and grass.

Orihime lays there, worried about their earlier meeting with Sesshomaru. "Is the big mean white-haired guy going to come after us?" she asks Toshiro.

"Don't even worry about him," Toshiro responds. "If he does, I'll kill him."

"But he seemed very powerful," Orihime adds.

"His spiritual pressure was very low," Toshiro replies. "He wouldn't last very long in a fight against me."

While the other characters go to sleep, Temari is silently strategizing.

_If I team up with Macho Man and the pipsqueak, that would be three votes… but the question is, who else could I get to join our alliance?_ she thinks. _Maybe I could work on that stupid orange-haired girl… or maybe even Naruto… if I'm desperate…_

Day 2

Seireitei Tribe

The tribe members wake up to find their fire put out, and apparently intentionally: the logs are all drenched with water.

Toshiro immediately puts the blame on Sesshomaru. "I knew that guy was up to no good," he says. "Why does he stoop to the level of simply annoying us, instead of just fighting me? I'm willing to give him a fight, if that's what he wants."

"Whoever it is, let me fight them," Armstrong states. "There's no way anyone could beat these muscles!"

Ed, meanwhile, is trying to transmute some of the logs in order to produce a fire, but he finds them to be too wet to do so. "This is when the Flame Alchemist could come in handy," he mutters.

Temari walks over to Ed, showing him her fan. "Maybe this could help dry off these logs," she says.

She begins waving the fan back and forth, trying to get the water to evaporate from the logs. In the meantime, Toshiro is looking all over, hoping to find Sesshomaru, in order to fight him. Sango and Kagome look on, worried about a potential attack from Sesshomaru.

"If that boy attacks Sesshomaru and loses, he's going to come after all of us," Kagome states.

"I know," Sango replies. "We can't let him do that."

"He doesn't seem like the type to be stopped…" Kagome mutters. "He's too much like InuYasha."

While Toshiro is off hunting through the forest for Sesshomaru, Naruto questions Orihime about her hair clips.

"Those are nice hair clips. Where did you get them?" he asks her.

"My brother gave them to me… before he died," she answered sadly.

"Oh… that's a shame," Naruto responds. "But do you see this headband? That means I'm a ninja! And I'm going to become better and better, and then I'm going to become Hokage of my village! Believe it!"

Temari and Ed are finally able to get the logs dry enough in order for Ed to perform a transmutation. He does so, and a new fire is created on the logs.

"We work well together," Temari says to Ed.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that," Ed responds.

As the others relax around the cabin, Toshiro continues searching through the woods, hoping to find Sesshomaru…

Jurai Tribe

The Jurai tribe members also wake up to controversy, as they find that all of their fruit that they had collected has been eaten. Immediately the blame is placed on two suspects: Ryo-ohki and Pikachu.

"You just couldn't keep your little mouse under control, and now look what it did!" Asuka yells at Ash.

"Hey, you refused to even help us… I don't think you even deserve any food!" Ash replies.

"Sasami, do you think Ryo-ohki may have eaten the fruit?" Tenchi asks. "You know that she always seems to be hungry."

"I don't know, Tenchi," Sasami replies. "Maybe."

Tenchi then finds Ryo-ohki passed out, looking very satisfied.

"I think we have our culprit," he announces. "Ryo-ohki was the one who ate it all."

"How stupid!" Asuka exclaims. "We'll never survive if we have to fight that thing for our food!"

"Now, now, there is nothing to worry about," Ami declares. "Mako and I will gather some more fruit to replace what we lost."

"And I'll watch Ryo-ohki carefully from now on," Sasami says.

So Makoto and Ami go to gather more fruit. Asuka is still a little upset, while the others forget about it quickly. Brock begins cooking some of the rice, while Ash is allowing Pikachu to run around and exercise.

"_We're going to have an uphill battle if our food keeps getting eaten by that cabbit," Brock says._

Tenchi, meanwhile, is talking with Shinji, who looks pretty depressed. "So, Shinji," he says, "tell me more about yourself. How is your life?"

"Terrible," Shinji replies. "I'm forced to do something I hate, but if I don't do it, I don't get any respect from anyone."

"I see," Tenchi says. "So the only way to get respect is to do something you don't like, but you do like respect, so in a sense it's worthwhile."

"I guess," Shinji replies. "I don't like talking about it, really."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tenchi says. "Well, how about another topic… is there anyone you really care for?"

Shinji thinks about it for a moment. "I care a lot for my guardian, Misato," he responds. "She takes care of me, although she lives a rather strange lifestyle. Have you ever seen anyone drink too much alcohol?"

"I believe I have," Tenchi states.

"She drinks beer non-stop," Shinji responds. "I don't understand how she is able to do her job."

"Anyone else who is important to you?" Tenchi asks.

"Well, maybe Ayanami…" Shinji answers. "Yeah, I'd have to say Rei Ayanami."

Asuka, meanwhile, has been sitting close enough to hear all of this, but she keeps her mouth shut over his comments… in public, that is.

_"Ayanami?! That's who he cares for?" Asuka says. "Not the girl who gave him his first kiss? Not that I like him or anything like that… no, not that, but I just can't believe that stupid Shinji would care more for Wonder Girl than me… oh, it's so insulting!"_

Brock then interrupts the others to tell them that the rice is ready. As the players eat, it seems that all of them are talking pleasantly, getting along with each other- except for Asuka.

"I can't believe all I'll be eating is stupid rice!" she states. "There's got to be something better than that!"

"Well, my Pikachu can go see if he can catch some fish," Ash responds. "That's a possibility."

"I also have an idea of how to catch fish," Brock says. "It shouldn't be difficult for us to expand our variety of meals."

Seireitei Tribe

Seven of the tribe members are sitting in the cabin, talking to each other and having a good time, although some of them are concerned about the one tribe member who is not- Toshiro Hitsugaya.

"Why is he doing this?" Sango asks. "The last thing we need is Sesshomaru mad at all of us."

"I just hope he doesn't exhaust himself in the process," Temari says. "The last thing we need is to allow the other team to have an advantage against us in the immunity challenge."

"Don't worry, he'll be all right!" Orihime exclaims happily. "He's very powerful, or at least that's what Ichigo tells me. I'm sure he won't get hurt!"

Off in the forest, Toshiro has run into Jaken. He is holding him by the neck, asking him questions.

"Did your master put out our fire?" he asks Jaken angrily.

"I don't have to answer that question!" Jaken says defiantly.

"Answer me, you little toad!" Toshiro yells.

"Who are you calling little?" Jaken responds.

"Why, you-" Toshiro starts to say.

"Let him go," a voice says.

Toshiro turns to see Sesshomaru approaching, along with Rin and Ah-Un. He then drops Jaken to the ground.

"Were you the one who put out our fire last night?" Toshiro asks angrily.

"It was not I who put it out," Sesshomaru replies.

"Don't lie to me!" Toshiro yells.

"The one who put out your fire was Jaken," Sesshomaru replies.

"And did you approve of it?" Toshiro asks.

"That is of no concern to me," Sesshomaru responds. "It was his choice, not mine."

Toshiro is becoming angrier and angrier, preparing to draw his zanpakuto. Sesshomaru begins to walk away.

"Are you too scared to fight?" Toshiro asks him.

"I just don't want to have to kill you in front of Rin," Sesshomaru answers.

This makes Toshiro even madder, but he decides not to attack Sesshomaru and instead return to the log cabin. He is greeted happily by the other tribe members, who are all glad that he is all right.

"It was that toad that put out our fire," Toshiro announces to the tribe. "Trust me, I will do what it takes to protect us from any future problems."

"It's okay!" Orihime exclaims.

"We don't want a fight with Sesshomaru," Kagome tells Toshiro. "He's a very powerful demon who could cause us lots of problems."

"That may be so, but I would have no problem destroying him," Toshiro replies.

The tribe is interrupted by Jet Black, who comes up to their cabin to deliver them a piece of paper.

"So, this is what you've built," Jet says. "Very impressive."

"Why are you here?" Naruto asks.

"I'm here to give you a message concerning tomorrow's immunity challenge, and a map of how to get there," Jet responds. "I hope everything's going fine so far."

He hands the piece of paper to Armstrong.

"We've had some problems with a demon," Toshiro tells Jet. "Apparently you put our camp area on his territory."

"Oh, yes, Sesshomaru?" Jet says. "Well, there have to be certain challenges, and I thought a good one would be putting you right in the heart of his territory, so you'll have to survive him as well."

"You did it on purpose?!" Toshiro responds angrily.

"Hey, I'm the host, and I set the rules around here," Jet replies. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Jet leaves, with the tribe members looking at the paper given to Armstrong, and Toshiro angrier than ever.

"I guess I'm going to have to kill that guy, one way or another," Toshiro says.

"So, what does it say?" Naruto asks.

"I'll read it," Ed replies.

"For this first immunity challenge

You will do something very hard;

You will be forced to collect

Three of five sacred jewel shards."

"Sacred jewel shards?" Kagome says. "This shouldn't be too hard, actually."

"Not at all," Sango says, smiling. "We have a secret weapon on our team."

Jurai Tribe

Several hours later, after Makoto and Ami have gathered a bunch of fruit to replace the amount they lost when Ryo-ohki ate it all, the Jurai tribe is joined by Jet Black.

"Hello, how are you doing?" he says to the tribe.

"Pretty good," Tenchi says.

"Speak for yourself," Asuka comments. "This style of living just doesn't suit me."

"Well, perhaps you'll have the chance to be sent home if you don't win this challenge," Jet responds. "And I have a paper describing the challenge right here."

He hands the paper to Ash Ketchum.

"I'll see you tomorrow for that immunity challenge," he tells the tribe. "Until then… have fun, I guess."

He walks away, while the tribe members gather around Ash to see what the paper says.

"It's sort of a poem," Ash says. "It goes like this:

For this first immunity challenge

You will do something very hard;

You will be forced to collect

Three of five sacred jewel shards."

"Sacred jewel shards? What are those, Tenchi?" Sasami asks.

"I don't know, Sasami," Tenchi replies.

"Ha! Only three out of five? How hard can it be?" Asuka asks. "Shinji and I have done a lot harder things than that, right, Shinji?"

Shinji just looks at Asuka worriedly.

"I have a feeling this challenge will be of a higher difficulty level, to test our skills early," Ami remarks.

"I just hope it doesn't make us test them _that_ much," Makoto responds, referring to her and Ami being forced to transform, though none of the other players catch on to what she means.

Seireitei Tribe

It is now later in the evening. The tribe has already eaten their second helping of rice for the day, and now they are sitting around the fire, rather bored. Armstrong tries to start a conversation.

"So, do any of you have someone special in your lives?" Armstrong asks.

The statement immediately makes Toshiro, Kagome and Sango all begin to blush. Armstrong laughs.

"Well, it looks like we have a few," he says. "What about you, Toshiro?"

Toshiro struggles to talk. "Well, I have… a friend…" he says, "one who- well, she and I go a long ways back-"

"And what is her name?" Armstrong asks.

"Momo," Toshiro says. "Momo Hinamori, lieutenant of Squad 5… she means a lot to me… I must protect her."

"Oh, so I see," Armstrong responds. "What about you two girls?"

"No one really," Kagome says in a fast voice. "I mean, I really would be fine without him. It's not like he means that much to me. It's not like I miss- InuYasha!"

She begins to cry, and Sango tries to comfort her.

"She's having some trouble being separate from InuYasha," Sango explains. "As for me, I can go a pretty long time being separate from my fiancé, the monk Miroku… mainly because I'm so used to his touch… in places he shouldn't!"

Her face becomes red with anger, just thinking of Miroku's "hand" problems, and not of the wind tunnel type. Armstrong then looks around at the others. "Anyone else?" he asks. "It's okay to say so here… no one will find out."

"Well… I sort of, uh, like… Ichigo Kurosaki," Orihime comments. "But don't tell him that!"

"Yeah, it's sort of similar for me," Ed says. "I really like Winry Rockbell… she's the best automail mechanic I know."

"Hey, what about me?" Naruto asks. "I like Sakura… although she likes that stupid Sasuke… it's always about Sasuke… Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke… what's so great about him anyway?"

"What about you, Temari?" Armstrong asks.

"Well, speaking of Sasuke…" she says, beginning to blush.

"So it seems a lot of you have someone you really like," Armstrong says. "Very interesting."

The tribe members go to sleep just a short time later, most of them still thinking about the ones they really care about.

Day 3

Jurai Tribe

Makoto wakes up before any of the other tribe members, finding Ryo-ohki eating the fruit again.

"Hey, get out of here!" she says, pushing Ryo-ohki away from the fruit.

"Meow," a sad Ryo-ohki replies.

_"We're never going to get by with this thing eating everything in sight," Makoto says. "If voting Sasami off first is the only way to stop this from happening, then so be it."_

Later in the morning, Makoto tells the others how Ryo-ohki was eating their fruit again, although this time, not as much.

"Ryo-ohki, you have to behave," Sasami tells Ryo-ohki.

"Meow," Ryo-ohki says.

"I think I'll watch Ryo-ohki tonight," Tenchi says. "That way, I'll make sure she doesn't eat our fruit again."

_"If there is a tonight for that thing," Asuka says. "If we lose, that girl and that cabbit might be the first to go. But what am I saying- we won't lose!"_

The tribe eats their rice for lunch a little earlier in the day than they did yesterday, then they split off to pass the time before the immunity challenge. However, there are some members with the idea of starting an alliance. Ash and Brock meet together with Tenchi and Sasami.

"We've got to get rid of that annoying Asuka," Ash says in a low voice to the other three. "I can't stand her."

"Much agreed," Brock says. "Are you two in on our plan?"

"What do you think, Tenchi?" Sasami asks Tenchi.

"Uh, ha ha ha ha," Tenchi nervously laughs, in his usual wishy-washy way, putting his hand behind his head.

About a half-hour later, Asuka and Shinji see Sasami and Tenchi playing with Ryo-ohki, and go over to talk with them.

"So, we've, uh, we're, um-" Shinji struggles to say.

"Oh, let me talk, stupid Shinji!" Asuka breaks in. "Look, I'm used to working with this guy, so he can be a little shy, but what he means is that he and I want to start an alliance, and we want to start it with you two. We thought that we could go after one of those Pokémon guys."

Sasami looks at Tenchi with wonder. "Do you think we should join them, Tenchi?" she asks.

"Uh, ha ha ha ha," Tenchi nervously laughs again, putting his hand behind his head, still unable to make a decision.

Makoto and Ami are talking to each other away from the other six- although not about voting strategies.

"We can't let them see our transformed selves," Makoto tells Ami.

"I would prefer that they do not see us like that as well, but what if we have to?" Ami asks. "How much would it hurt if they found out who we really are?"

"We just can't," Makoto replies. "You never know if some of these people here are spies for Queen Beryl or what."

"I think it will come down to the situation," Ami comments. "We may be forced to do so, whether we like it or not."

Seireitei Tribe

The Seireitei tribe members eat their rice for their lunch meal. After they finish, Temari goes over to Armstrong and Ed.

"You two are very strong," she says. "I would like to team up with you."

"We already are on a team!" Armstrong replies. "And with these muscles, we can't lose!"

"No, no, not that," she responds. "I mean, when it comes to voting… I want to vote for the same person who two vote for."

"Okay," Ed says. "That sounds easy enough. But who for?"

"Well, I was thinking…" Temari says...

Meanwhile, Toshiro is talking with Kagome and Sango about Sesshomaru.

"You know that creep?" he asks.

"Yeah, he's sort of- well, not our enemy, but not our friend either," Sango replies.

"How do you know him, then?" Toshiro asks.

"He's InuYasha's brother," Kagome answers.

"InuYasha? Is that your boyfriend?" Toshiro asks.

"I guess you could say that," Kagome replies. "The two of them don't get along very well."

"They're known for fighting each other even when they need to be working together," Sango explains. "But Sesshomaru has become a little nicer ever since the girl Rin began following him around."

"So he's not all bad?" Toshiro says.

"That's right, he has some good in him, so to speak," Sango explains. "But I wouldn't cross him… he's very, very powerful."

"You don't worry about me," Toshiro comments. "If he dares to attack you two, or Orihime, I'll kill him without a second thought. He doesn't know the power of a Soul Reaper."

Naruto is bragging to Orihime about all his achievements as a ninja. Orihime just goes along with him, not understanding anything about what he is talking about, but thinking he must be pretty important.

"So you do a lot of important work?" she asks him.

"Well, of course!" Naruto replies. "I'm a ninja, and as a ninja, I have to carry out important missions to protect my village! Believe it!"

"Wow…" Orihime says, without even knowing what he means.

Jurai Tribe

It is now later in the day, and the tribe is eating their second meal early, because they know that the immunity challenge is upcoming. Notably, Ash and Brock sit quite a bit away from Asuka and Shinji, as the two small alliances have already begun to put up a wall between each other. As Makoto serves the rice to Sasami and Tenchi, Sasami asks Tenchi where they should sit.

"Should we sit by Ash and Brock, or by Asuka and Shinji?" she asks Tenchi.

Tenchi responds with his usual nervous laughter, not knowing what to say. And in typical Tenchi fashion, he decides to sit at a point exactly the same distance between both the Pokémon trainers and the Eva pilots.

"We must be prepared for the challenge," Ami tells everyone. "We don't want to be the first ones to lose."

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka asks her. "Do you actually think we're going to lose? Come on, have some confidence! You're so much like that Wonder Girl… no confidence at all!"

Seireitei Tribe

The tribe members are just about to head to the immunity challenge, as Temari is prepared to lead them along the way. Toshiro is talking to Orihime about Sesshomaru.

"Listen, if that demon dares do anything to us while we're on our way to the immunity challenge, I will not hesitate to kill him," he tells her. "If I begin to fight, I want you to stay with those two girls, Kagome and Sango… you'll be safer with them. Do you understand?"

"Sure!" a cheerful Orihime responds.

The tribe begins walking behind Temari, heading toward the immunity challenge spot. As they do, a vigilant Sesshomaru watches them from the forest, unseen by Toshiro or any of his tribe members.

"So, Lord Sesshomaru, shall we plunder their cabin?" Jaken asks.

"Quiet, Jaken," Sesshomaru replies. "I will do what I must."

Immunity Challenge

Jet Black greets both tribes as they arrive in a large field for the immunity challenge.

"Welcome, everyone, to our first immunity challenge!" he says. "So, how have you all been doing?"

"Pretty good," Makoto replies. "Except for some problems with protecting our own food."

"We've had our own problems," Toshiro adds. "Just with a demon who's been deciding to bother us."

"Speaking of demons, that's part of today's challenge!" Jet announces. "My assistant Koga here will unleash the demons."

"Koga?" Kagome asks.

Koga steps out from behind Jet, then immediately runs up to Kagome and grabs her hand.

"Kagome, if this challenge gets out of hand, don't worry, I'll rescue you," he says. "You can count on me, unlike that mutt."

"Thanks," Kagome replies embarrassedly.

"All right, all right, get back over here," Jet tells Koga. "You're going to unload a bunch of demons, five of which will be holding sacred jewel shards."

"And our job is to collect those jewel shards?" Ami asks.

"That is correct," Jet replies. "Of course, you won't be able to do so without first defeating the demons that hold them. I should also point out that the shards held by Koga's body are off-limits."

"He has shards?" Brock asks Ash, of course not able to sense the shards in Koga's body.

"The first team to collect three sacred jewel shards wins the immunity plushie," Jet continues. "Here's what you're playing for."

Jet holds up Kon, who is squirming and trying to get free.

"You put me down!" Kon yells. "I'm not just a toy!"

"Actually, you are," Jet responds. "Just remember what you'll be getting if you decide to play nice."

"Some time with Rukia," Kon says. "Oh, I think that's worth it… hey, Orihime, please win for me!"

Orihime looks at Toshiro in confusion. "Is that stuffed animal talking?" she asks.

"It's actually a modsoul," Toshiro explains. "Don't worry about it."

"Okay, so does everyone understand the challenge?" Jet asks.

Jet gets a bunch of half-hearted nods and "sort of"s from the players.

"All right, for immunity!" Jet announces. "Survivors ready, go!"

Koga releases the top of a jar, whereupon hundreds of snake-like demons come flying out. All the players look at the demons in confusion, not knowing where these sacred jewel shards could possibly be, except for Kagome.

"I sense a sacred jewel shard!" she exclaims, as always.

"Don't let the other team know!" Sango replies.

"Oops, sorry," Kagome responds. She then pulls out her bow and arrow and fires an arrow towards a demon that has a shard. However, she misses very badly.

"Just tell me which one has the shard, and I'll throw my boomerang at it," Sango whispers to Kagome.

Kagome whispers to Sango the demon that has the shard, and Sango fires her Hiraikotsu at the demon, defeating it, and releasing the shard. Naruto immediately sees the jewel fall out of the demon, and he rushes to pick it up.

"Hey, how can they tell where the jewel shards are?" Ash asks.

"I guess we're going to have to just beat as many demons as possible, and that's how we'll find the jewel shards," Brock says. "Go, Onix!"

Brock sends Onix out of its Poké Ball, while Ash tells Pikachu to begin attacking the demons. Onix's tackling and Pikachu's electricity bring down some of the demons, but they do not find any jewel shards.

"Where are they?" Ash asks angrily.

Toshiro, meanwhile, is slicing demons left and right with his zanpakuto, having no idea whether any of them have any jewel shards or not. One of them that he slices ends up having a jewel shard in it, and Temari quickly picks it up.

"That's two," Temari comments.

"Come on, you two, destroy the right demons!" Asuka yells at Brock and Ash.

"Why don't you do something for once?" Ash yells back.

"I don't have my Eva with me, or I would!" she screams at him.

Makoto and Ami silently contemplate transforming, but both decide against it, given the fact that merely defeating the demons does not seem to be enough. Armstrong, meanwhile, is picking up demons with his bare hands and ripping them apart.

"These demons are not too strong for these muscles!" he says.

Ash sees one rather-large looking demon and tells Pikachu to use its Thunder attack on it.

"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu says.

The demon bursts open, and out come three sacred jewel shards. However, they fly right towards Orihime, who has just been standing idly by. She sees them fly to her, and she grabs them all.

"Seireitei wins immunity!" Jet Black shouts.

"What happened?" Ash asks.

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka responds. "Your stupid mouse allowed the other team to get the rest of the jewel shards! You should have waited until it was closer to us!"

"At least I did something," Ash replies.

Jet walks over and hands Kon to Orihime. "This is for you," he says. "Your tribe is immune from voting for tonight."

"Oh, Orihime!" Kon says happily, as Orihime squeezes him tight to her chest in celebration.

"Both tribes, you can head back to camp," Jet tells everyone. "Jurai, I'll see you tonight at Tribal Council… just follow your first map back to where you started from, because that's where it is."

The Jurai tribe members walk back towards their camp upset, with Ash, Brock and Asuka all arguing with each other as they go.

Seireitei Tribe

The tribe members arrive back at their camp in the late evening to find their large barrel of rice missing, and their fire put out- again.

"I'm going to kill that demon," Toshiro seethes.

"Why would he do this to us?" Kagome asks.

"This is terrible! What now are we going to eat?" Naruto says.

"I guess we're going to have to hunt for fruit," Temari suggests.

"Come on, we've got to try to start this fire again," Ed tells Temari.

While Ed and Temari work on starting the fire again, Toshiro heads off into the forest, hoping to find Sesshomaru. He walks back toward the same spot where he found Jaken before, but he does not see anyone at first, until he hears a voice from behind him.

"Are you looking for me?" Sesshomaru asks.

Toshiro turns to face Sesshomaru, with his face full of anger, and one hand ready to pull out his zanpakuto. "Just tell me one thing," he says. "Why did you do it?"

Sesshomaru stares at Toshiro coldly. "You're in my territory," he says. "You play by my rules."

"As long as I'm here, you're not going to continue to bully our tribe," Toshiro replies. "What did you do with our rice?"

"It's right here," Sesshomaru says. "But as far as I'm concerned, it belongs to me… as long as it remains in my territory."

Toshiro gets even angrier. "I'll give you one last chance," he tells Sesshomaru. "Either you give me that barrel and agree to stop bothering us, or I'll be forced to fight you- and you will lose."

"I don't know if you'd be able to carry it," Sesshomaru replies. "You look a little small to do that."

"That's it!" Toshiro yells.

But right as he is about to draw his zanpakuto, he is interrupted by Kagome.

"Sesshomaru!" she says. "Please, we don't mean to interfere with your territory… we know it's yours, we just need that rice to survive… it's all part of our game."

Sesshomaru stares at Kagome, who looks at him pleadingly, then over at Toshiro, who is still ready to fight.

"As long as you don't give any to him," he tells her. He then walks over and gives her the barrel.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru!" says Kagome, who then begins to walk away with the barrel.

Toshiro watches Kagome walk away, then gives Sesshomaru one final dirty look, before following her back to camp.

_"What does this Sesshomaru have against me, and why is he bothering our tribe so much?" Toshiro says. "And why does he listen to Kagome?"_

Jurai Tribe

Tensions are building among the Jurai tribe members, particularly between the Pokémon trainers and Asuka.

"You and that stupid electric mouse!" Asuka screams at Ash. "You just go around destroying demons randomly, and then you shoot the jewel shards right to that girl on the other team! What's wrong with you?"

"I didn't see you even attempt to help us," Ash replies. "That's worse, in my opinion."

"Excuse me, but you are at an advantage, getting to bring your mouse along with you," Asuka snaps. "I wasn't allowed to bring my Eva with me… for some reason Commander Ikari doesn't trust me to take the Eva away from NERV headquarters."

"That's your problem," Ash says.

"Yeah, if you're going to complain, you better do your part," Brock adds.

Asuka looks at Shinji, who is just staring at her blankly.

"Are you dense? Aren't you going to defend me?" she asks Shinji.

Makoto walks up to the arguing players with the map to Tribal Council.

"Come on, we have to get going," she tells them. "Ami will lead the way."

"Wonder Girl #2?" Asuka asks. "I have to follow her around? Oh, it's so unfair!"

The eight tribe members head on their way toward Tribal Council.

Tribal Council

After a long walk, the eight players arrive at Tribal Council, where Jet Black greets them warmly. There is a large fire burning in the middle of the area, with places for the tribe members to sit on one side.

"First things first, you need to collect your torches," Jet tells them. "Each of you has a torch, so find yours in that line over there and light it up."

As the players do so, Jet continues to talk.

"In this game, fire represents life. When the fire on your torch is gone, so are you from this game," he explains.

"What if it rains?" Makoto asks.

"Hey, let's not think about this too hard, I'm trying to be a little poetic here," Jet replies. "Now set your lit torches back over there."

The players set their torches back over where they collected them.

"Okay, so let's talk a bit," he says. "Your tribe is the first to have to come here. I'm sure no one wants to be here, am I correct?"

Asuka, Ash and Brock all raise their hands in protest.

"What, do we already have some inner problems?" Jet asks.

"Yeah, we're both sick of Asuka," Ash replies.

"Oh, so tell me about this," Jet says. "What is this argument about?"

Asuka, Ash and Brock all start talking at once, causing Jet to wave his arms in order to stop them.

"One at a time please!" he laughs. "Asuka, why don't we start with you?"

"The stupid kid with the electric mouse cost us the immunity challenge," Asuka responds. "If not for his mouse pretty much giving the jewel shards to the other team, we may have won."

"But you didn't help us out at all!" Ash yells at Asuka.

"Yeah, Ash and I were the only ones to do anything!" Brock protests.

"Wow, so we have a problem within the tribe already," Jet says, with a bit of excitement in his voice. "What about the rest of you?"

"Well, that cabbit creature has been eating our fruit," Makoto says. "It's a little annoying."

"I'm sorry… Ryo-ohki can't help it," Sasami responds.

Jet rubs his hands together, seemingly more excited. "So one of the pets brought along as a comfort item is causing trouble by eating your food?" he asks.

"Yeah, but I'm going to watch Ryo-ohki more carefully from now on to make sure it doesn't happen again," Tenchi answers.

"It better not happen again," Ami says.

"Oh, what are you talking about, Ayanami?" Asuka breaks in.

"Excuse me, but my name is Ami, not Ayanami," Ami replies.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jet says, waving his hands. "Clearly there are a lot of problems within this tribe. Perhaps ousting a member will help solve a few of those problems. It's time to vote."

As the Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays, the players walk over to the voting booth one by one, writing down their votes, and giving their reason for voting.

Ami goes to vote.

Ash goes to vote.

_"I'm voting for Asuka," Ash says. "As if she isn't lazy enough, she's trying to blame me for the team's loss in the immunity challenge."_

Asuka goes to vote.

_"My vote is for that Ash kid," Asuka says. "He's so stupid!"_

Brock goes to vote.

Makoto goes to vote.

_"Sorry, Sasami," Makoto says, "but we won't be able to survive if your cabbit keeps on eating everything."_

Sasami goes to vote.

Shinji goes to vote.

Tenchi goes to vote.

After all the players come back from voting, Jet Black announces, "I'll go tally the votes."

He walks over to the voting booth, counts up the votes, then places the pieces of paper in a certain order in a bucket. He then comes back over to the players.

"Once I read the votes, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone Eater's Well immediately," Jet explains. "The first vote is for… Sasami."

Sasami looks pretty worried upon hearing her name read.

"The second vote," Jet says, pulling it out. "Asuka."

Asuka shrugs her shoulders.

"The third vote," Jet says, "Ash."

Ash looks on, a little nervous.

"Our fourth vote," Jet continues, "is for Sasami."

Sasami wiggles over next to Tenchi, holding on to him nervously, with Ryo-ohki looking up at her with a confused look.

"The fifth vote," Jet says. "Ash. That's two for Ash, two for Sasami, one for Asuka."

He then pulls out the next vote. "Asuka," he says. "We now have two for Asuka, two for Ash, and two for Sasami."

Ash and Sasami both look pretty nervous right now, although Asuka does not show any signs of being worried.

Jet pulls out the seventh vote very slowly. "Ash," he says. "That's three for Ash, two for Sasami, two for Asuka."

He then pulls out the final vote. "The first person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan," he announces, "is Ash Ketchum."

Ash gets up sadly, with Pikachu on his shoulder, and goes over to pick up his torch. He then holds it out before Jet.

"Ash," Jet tells him, "the tribe has spoken."

Jet snuffs out Ash's torch, then Ash and Pikachu go over to the Bone Eater's Well and jump in it.

"Only three days in, and this is clearly, a tribe divided," Jet says. "I think you all have a lot to think about. Take your torches back to your camp… good night."

As the Survivor theme plays, the players grab their torches and begin their long trek back to their camp.

_"It is what it is," Ash says. "I hoped to at least make it past the first vote, but it wasn't to be. I guess Tenchi and Sasami decided to betray Brock and me… I just hope he can make it past the next vote. I also hope someone gets rid of Asuka as soon as possible!"_

(Who voted for whom:

Ash- Asuka

Asuka- Ash

Ami- Sasami

Brock- Asuka

Makoto- Sasami

Sasami- Ash

Shinji- Ash

Tenchi- Ash)

Scenes from our next episode:

_A very painful reward challenge awaits the players:_

Soi Fon looks at the players in a very stern way. "Your rice will not last long," she says.

--

_The immunity plushie gives advice to one of the players:_

"The big guy and the pipsqueak and the ninja girl all want to vote you out!" Kon exclaims. "They're making an alliance against you!"

--

_And a certain someone causes trouble around the Jurai camp:_

"Ryo-ohki!"


	2. A Painful Proposition: Days 4, 5, 6

Day 4

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, arguing with Ash

Shinji Ikari, talking about his father

Makoto Kino, flirting with Tenchi

Ami Mizuno, leading the tribe towards their camp

Sasami, petting Ryo-ohki

Tenchi Masaki, putting his hand behind his head

Brock, flirting with Makoto

Orihime Inoue, squeezing Kon

Toshiro Hitsugaya, talking angrily to Sesshomaru

Sango, talking with Kagome

Kagome Higurashi, trying to reason with Sesshomaru

Alex Louis Armstrong, bragging about his muscles

Edward Elric, performing alchemy

Naruto Uzumaki, bragging about his future

Temari, leading the tribe to camp

_A Painful Proposition_

Day 4

Seireitei Tribe

The tribe members are eating their recovered rice late in the morning. Toshiro still seems to be upset about Sesshomaru, but the other characters all seem to be in good moods.

"Kagome, I have a question for you," Toshiro says. "What is it that Sesshomaru has against me?"

"I don't understand it myself," Kagome replies. "Maybe he thinks because you're little you're someone who can be picked on."

"I'm not as little as that pipsqueak over there," Toshiro says, pointing towards Ed.

"Yes you are! In fact, why are you even calling me little? I'm not that short! You're the real pipsqueak around here!" Ed yells back.

"All I can say is that I'm not holding back anymore," Toshiro adds. "I won't show any more mercy to him. He's a rotten bully who needs to have a lesson paid to him… even if that means death."

Orihime has something completely different on her mind. "Hey, everybody, for tonight's meal, can I cook?" she asks.

Temari gives Orihime a strange look. "Well, if it's possible to cook rice in a different way, I guess," she replies.

"Oh, good!" Orihime exclaims. "I love cooking!"

The players are interrupted by Soi Fon, who comes to give them a message.

"Captain!" Toshiro exclaims. "What are you doing here?"

"I am helping the host with this competition, Captain Hitsugaya," she responds. "You are all to follow this map to the reward challenge later today."

"Don't worry, we'll be there!" a joyful Armstrong responds.

"And I just want to let you know… I will show no mercy," she adds, before walking away.

"No mercy?" Temari asks. "What does she mean by that?"

"She doesn't scare me!" Naruto exclaims. "If she wants to fight, I'll fight her- and I'll beat her for sure! Believe it!"

Toshiro looks a little concerned. "Soi Fon is a very serious captain," he tells the others. "I'm very surprised she agreed to work with this competition. And when she says she will so no mercy- she means it."

This makes all of the other competitors all a little nervous, except perhaps for Naruto, who runs off to start throwing shuriken at a tree, for what he thinks will be practice for the immunity challenge.

Jurai Tribe

Makoto has just cooked the rice for the other tribe members, who, for the first time, did not wake up to find their fruit stolen by Ryo-ohki.

"Ryo-ohki was a good cabbit last night," Sasami says, petting Ryo-ohki.

"Meow!" Ryo-ohki responds.

Makoto takes her bowl of rice and sits down next to Tenchi, much to Brock's dismay. "Why don't you sit over here, with me?" Brock asks. "I'm kind of lonely over here."

"No, I think I want to sit right here, next to Tenchi," Makoto replies. She then looks into Tenchi's eyes longingly.

"You know, you remind me of somebody I know… or somebodies I know," Tenchi says to her, looking a little worried.

"It's okay, Tenchi," Makoto says. "If I were you, I'd forget about those other girls you were telling me about. You can always find true love, if you look in the right place."

Ami rolls her eyes, but does not say anything. She finds it a little ironic that Makoto is refusing the attention of Brock while acting the exact same way as he is.

Asuka, meanwhile, talks boldly and proudly to Shinji about the previous night's vote, despite Brock being able to hear her plain and clear.

"It's great that we teamed up with Tenchi and Sasami to get rid of that stupid boy and his even stupider mouse, isn't it, Shinji?" Asuka says.

"Well, uh, maybe," Shinji responds.

"What are you, dense?" Asuka exclaims. "Of course it was great! If not, maybe we'd be voting off _you_ instead!"

_"What makes Shinji so stupid sometimes?" Asuka says. "If I get voted off, he's next… doesn't he realize that? I'm key to his survival."_

The tribe is joined by Jet Black, who walks over to join them.

"This rice smells pretty good," he says, reaching over to Tenchi's bowl and taking a little bit out to taste it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Tenchi shouts.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I got a little carried away there," Jet laughs. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that we have a reward challenge coming up in a few hours… and maybe I just gave you a little hint about what you could win! Well, see you!"

He begins to walk away, before being interrupted by Ami.

"Would you be as kind to give us a hint of what the challenge is?" she asks.

"I'd like to, but it would be sort of painful," Jet says, before covering his mouth. "Oops, maybe I've given too much away already! Good-bye for now!"

Jet walks away, leaving the others confused.

"Painful?" Brock remarks. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Me neither," Shinji adds.

"What is the matter with you two? Are you even men?" Asuka asks. "Come on, there has to be some pain involved in this competition!"

"No one likes pain!" Makoto snaps at Asuka. "I think if you want to show off so much, why don't you take whatever pain is involved in the competition!"

"I'm not scared! Just watch me win it for the tribe!" she declares. "But then, I'm keeping the reward for myself!"

"Oh no you aren't," Makoto replies. "Especially not if it's a team challenge!"

The argument goes on and on, for about half an hour. Eventually Asuka and Makoto walk away from the rest of the tribe, fuming about each other's remarks.

"Well, uh, this isn't going too good, right, Sasami?" Tenchi says, hoping to break the tension.

"I don't know, Tenchi," Sasami responds, causing Tenchi to laugh nervously.

Seireitei Tribe

It is a couple hours later, and the tribe members are preparing to go to the reward challenge, when Toshiro talks to Ed.

"You know the way you built this cabin?" Toshiro says to him.

"Alchemy?" Ed asks.

"Can you use that to protect our rice from being stolen, just in case that Sesshomaru comes around again?" Toshiro questions.

"Sure, I guess… maybe I could use some of these rocks…" Ed says.

He then claps his hands together, touching the rocks. A large rocky box appears around the barrel of rice.

"Now I can always just make that disappear when we return," Ed tells Toshiro.

"Good," Toshiro replies. "We can't have that Sesshomaru continuing to bully us around."

The players then head off towards the place where the reward challenge is to be held.

Reward Challenge

The two tribes arrive at the site of the reward challenge, where a smiling Jet Black, a nervous Retsu Unohana and a deadly serious Soi Fon are standing.

"Welcome to today's reward challenge!" Jet says excitedly. "I bet all of you want to know what you'll be playing for, right?"

Jet gets a bunch of half-hearted responses, and Asuka and Makoto still arguing over Asuka's arrogance.

"Okay, I'll tell you anyway," Jet says, unfazed by the response of the contestants. "I have a large assortment of food here, ranging from fish to vegetables to even more rice. It will all be yours, if you come out on top in this reward challenge!"

"So, what do we have to do?" Naruto asks.

"My assistant, Captain of Squad 2, Soi Fon, will tell you all about that," Jet says, stepping aside.

Soi Fon looks at the players in a very stern way. "Your rice will not last long," she says. "Soon you will be very hungry, and your entire team will be agonizing in hunger."

"She doesn't have to put it so bluntly," Shinji whispers to Asuka.

"However, there is another option for you," Soi Fon continues. "One of your tribe members has the chance to take a great deal of pain, in order to win his or her tribe all that food you see there."

"What kind of pain?" Ed asks.

"I shall sting one member per tribe with my zanpakuto," Soi Fon explains. "If he or she lasts one minute in severe stinging pain, then his or her tribe wins the food. And if both last longer than one minute, than the one lasting longer will win it."

"And what if we don't last that long?" Asuka asks.

"You can always yell 'Stop,' in which case Captain Unohana will immediately heal you," Soi Fon responds. "You don't even have to take any pain, if you don't want to. But then you concede the opportunity for that food to the other tribe."

Retsu looks on nervously. "My zanpakuto will fully heal any of you," she explains. "I will continue to be here in case of emergencies, although I worry about Captain Zaraki getting seriously hurt while I'm away…"

Everyone in the Jurai tribe looks at Asuka. "Well, Asuka, are you ready?" Makoto asks.

"Ha! I'm not scared! How bad can it be?" Asuka says.

"Bad enough that you could die," Soi Fon replies sternly.

"Is that all? I've been through worse as an Eva pilot," Asuka tells Soi Fon. "Bring it on! But first…"

She quickly puts on her Eva suit over the clothing she is already wearing.

"Okay, I'm ready!" she exclaims.

"What about your tribe?" Soi Fon asks, turning to the chattering Seireitei tribe.

"Why, these muscles can take any pain!" Armstrong declares.

"Fine, then," Soi Fon says. "But I warn you for the last time- you could die."

"Don't do it, Armstrong!" Toshiro shouts. "She really can kill you! Muscles won't help!"

"I think you underestimate my muscles," Armstrong replies.

Toshiro tries to rush out and stop Armstrong, but he is held back by Ed.

"Let him go," Ed tells Toshiro. "If he wants to do it, then allow him the opportunity."

"I shall attack your chosen players one at a time," Soi Fon says. "Who chooses to go first?"

"I will!" Asuka exclaims.

"Very well then," Soi Fon replies. She pulls out her zanpakuto and stabs Asuka with it, creating a butterfly-shaped symbol at the point she stabbed her. Asuka begins to scream, and only a few seconds later, she cries, "Stop it!"

Retsu releases her zanpakuto, and the pain is instantly lifted from Asuka. The Jurai tribe members stare at Asuka angrily, after all the boasting she did.

"Trust me, you don't want to feel that," Asuka tells them. "I've never felt anything like that before."

Soi Fon then turns to Armstrong. "Are you ready for the pain?" she asks him.

"Of course!" Armstrong replies. "These muscles can hold up under any sort of pain!"

"Not this type…" Toshiro mutters.

Soi Fon then stabs Armstrong, creating the same butterfly-shaped symbol. He begins to scream, but he does not cry out for it to stop.

"Go, Muscle Man!" Orihime cries.

"Come on, don't die," Temari says.

"Just give up!" Toshiro shouts.

Armstrong takes the pain, however, all the way until a minute is over, when Retsu gets the signal from Jet Black, and releases her zanpakuto. The pain immediately subsides for Armstrong.

"You did it!" Orihime exclaims.

"Great job!" Kagome says.

"I don't believe it," Toshiro comments.

"What, did you doubt these muscles?" he asks.

Soi Fon looks at Armstrong with amazement. "I can't feel your spiritual pressure, but you must have quite a lot to be able to withstand that," she tells him.

"Congratulations!" Jet tells the Seireitei tribe. "You win all this food. You may take it all back to your camp!"

The eight Seireitei tribe members then all help gather the food and carry it back to their camp, while the seven Jurai tribe members go back to their camp disappointed, mainly with Asuka. Soi Fon looks over at Jet.

"We're going to have to make it a lot harder on them," she tells him.

"Oh, don't worry," Jet laughs. "I have some surprises for them… just wait!"

Jurai Tribe

Some of the tribe members are particularly upset with Asuka, after she failed to back up all her bragging.

"So, all that talk about being able to take the pain, and you couldn't?" Makoto says to her. "What can you say now?"

"You don't know what it was like!" Asuka snaps. "I didn't see you volunteering to do it!"

"At least you can't say that we're weak for not wanting to go through the pain," Brock replies.

"You may still be weak anyway," Asuka remarks.

"All right, all right," Tenchi says, trying to stop the tribe members from arguing any further. "Come on, we're going to have to work as a team if we're going to be able to win immunity in a couple of days."

"That's right," Ami comments. "Inner fighting is not going to help us at winning this game."

"Whatever," Asuka replies.

Seireitei Tribe

The tribe members haul all of their food back to their camp. They place it inside their cabin, as well as their original barrel of rice, which Ed releases from its protective case using his alchemy. They are quite jubilant, and all of them are feeling quite talkative after Armstrong's big win.

"Way to go," Temari tells Armstrong. "You've been a really big help to our team."

"Would you expect anything less from these muscles?" Armstrong asks.

Toshiro is talking to Ed about trying to protect the new, larger collection of food from Sesshomaru.

"We're going to keep it all in this cabin," Toshiro tells Ed. "You've got to make us some sort of way of locking this cabin up.

"I don't know about that," Ed replies. "Maybe I could just put up a temporary wall in front of the entrance to the cabin every time we leave."

"I guess that would work," Toshiro says.

Sango and Kagome are curious about what Orihime plans on cooking. Orihime grabs a piece of celery and begins twirling it around in her hand.

"Well, I think I'll add some rice to the fish, then throw in some corn and peas… and then cover it all with water, and then throw in some lettuce, and then…" she says, going on and on.

"Something tells me this isn't going to be the most appetizing of meals," Sango whispers to Kagome.

Naruto is running around, trying to get everyone's attention.

"We've won two straight challenges!" he says. "And we're not going to lose any! Nope, not with me on our team! Believe it!"

"I hope you are right," Kagome tells him.

"Of course I'm right! There's no way I'll be wrong about this!" he exclaims.

He then runs off to begin throwing shuriken at trees.

"He's always full of energy," Kagome comments.

A couple of hours later, Orihime is busy cooking with all sorts of food, leaving everyone else to wonder what she could possibly be making. Toshiro is relaxing outside, when he notices a familiar figure come into sight.

"Sesshomaru!" he exclaims.

"I could smell some sort of food coming from over here," Sesshomaru says.

"What are you here for?" Toshiro asks. "Tell me!"

"Rin is hungry," Sesshomaru replies. "Since you are cooking on my territory, I think you should give some of it to her."

Toshiro looks surprised at the relative civility of Sesshomaru's demand. "Okay, but after that, you leave us alone," he tells Sesshomaru.

So Orihime continues cooking the food, and when she is finished, she gives some of it to Rin. As Orihime goes to give the food to the rest of the tribe members, Rin spits it out.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I think they're trying to poison me," Rin says.

Sesshomaru immediately walks up to Toshiro, about to draw his sword. "Have you attempted to poison Rin with this food?" he asks him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Toshiro replies, before taking a bite of the strange piece of food sitting in his bowl.

"BLAH!" Toshiro spits it out immediately. "What is this, Orihime?" he asks.

"Oh, it's my speciality," she replies. "There are so many ingredients to it, I can't quite explain them all to you."

Sesshomaru takes his hand off his sword and begins to walk away. "Next time you have food, it had better be edible," he says.

"I hope the same thing," Toshiro mutters, watching the rest of the tribe members spitting up their food as well.

Jurai Tribe

It is nighttime now, and the Jurai tribe members are sitting around the fire, talking to each other.

"We've lost two straight challenges," Makoto comments. "We can't keep on losing like this."

"It's going to take an incredible amount of teamwork," Ami remarks. "Most likely we will not have another individual challenge like that last one."

"Don't look at me," Brock says. "I've done my part around here. I know someone else who hasn't been pulling her weight."

"Hey, at least I tried!" Asuka snaps. "I didn't see you volunteer to take that pain!"

"That's because you volunteered first!" Brock replies.

"You were the one complaining about pain in the first place!" Asuka yells.

"All right, all right, everyone, calm down," Tenchi says. "We can make up for it in the next immunity challenge."

Asuka crosses her arms and pouts, while Brock rolls his eyes.

_"Typical," Shinji says. "Asuka starts a fight, and refuses to end it. I'd vote her out if I was able to."_

"Are they ever going to get along, Tenchi?" Sasami whispers to Tenchi.

"I don't know, Sasami," Tenchi replies.

Day 5

Seireitei Tribe

Early in the morning, Kon decides he is going to try to escape the cabin.

"Orihime's been ignoring me," he whines. "If she isn't going to pay attention to me, I know someone who is- my precious Rukia!"

He begins walking out of the cabin, before being stopped.

"Where are you going, little one?" Ed asks.

"Speak for yourself, pipsqueak!" Kon yells.

"Why, you- I'll tear your stuffing out!" Ed snaps, picking up Kon, who desperately tries wiggling to escape.

"Hey there," Temari says to Ed. "It's probably not a good idea to destroy the immunity plushie."

"True," Ed replies. "Here, you take him for a while."

Ed tosses Kon to Temari.

"Why, you're sort of cute!" Temari says to Kon, squeezing him. This of course makes Kon very happy.

_Forget Rukia, I'll stay with you,_ Kon thinks.

Naruto, meanwhile, is complaining about last night's horrible meal.

"My stomach is still upset from that terrible meal last night," he complains. "Why couldn't Orihime have made something good?"

"Don't complain about the food," Armstrong says. "Become strong like me, and the type of food you eat won't matter!"

"I'm sorry, everyone," Orihime says. "I didn't know my cooking was so bad."

"It's okay, Orihime," Kagome replies. "We'll just stick to more conventional cooking from now on."

_"If we have her cook again, it'll be worse than running out of food!" Kagome says._

Around noon, the players are eating fish that Kagome has cooked for them. This time, everyone is happy about the meal.

"This is the way a meal should be," Naruto says.

Temari, meanwhile, goes over to talk to Armstrong and Ed. They sit quite a bit away from everyone else, so that the others cannot hear them.

"We need a strategy," she tells them, still holding onto Kon. "We've got to have a plan just in case we don't win immunity tomorrow."

"Who needs a plan when you have muscles like these?" Armstrong replies.

"Well, no insult to your muscles, but we may have a challenge that requires more than muscles," Temari says. "And in that case, we have to be ready to team up to vote off someone."

"Who should we go after?" Ed asks. "If I were to say someone, I'd say that girl who cooked that awful meal last night… she tried to make us all sick!"

"Maybe," Temari replies. "Or we could try to vote off that annoying Naruto."

"But couldn't Naruto be part of an alliance of ours?" Ed asks. "I'd keep him around and get rid of the girl."

_Not my Orihime!_ Kon thinks.

"We'll have to see how this thing plays out," Temari says, as Kon begins wiggling, trying to get free. "Oh, okay, you can have some freedom, but don't try to run away, you hear me?"

"Yes!" Kon says nervously.

_I've got to tell Orihime this news… I like that girl, but I don't want to lose my Orihime,_ Kon thinks.

Orihime is back inside the cabin, where Kon finds her, and begins talking really fast.

"The big guy and the pipsqueak and the ninja girl all want to vote you out!" he exclaims. "They're making an alliance against you!"

"Hmmm…" Orihime says. "That doesn't sound nice. I'll have to talk to them about it."

"Wait! I don't think that's a good idea!" Kon calls after Orihime, as she walks out of the cabin to talk to Temari's alliance.

Toshiro watches Orihime walking over to talk to Temari, Ed and Armstrong, while he eats his fish. "Do you think Orihime's starting an alliance with those three?" he asks Kagome and Sango.

"I hope not," Sango replies. "I thought she was your friend."

"Ichigo entrusted me with her," Toshiro says. "I'm sure I can talk her into voting for who we want to."

"We can't have her go against us, or we might be in trouble," Kagome says.

Jurai Tribe

"Ryo-ohki!"

Tenchi is yelling at Ryo-ohki, who is sitting in the barrel of rice, eating away. He pulls the cabbit out of the barrel, only to find that Ryo-ohki has eaten up about the same amount of rice that the entire tribe had eaten through four days.

"What are we going to do with you if you can't behave?" Tenchi asks.

"Meow," Ryo-ohki mutters.

Makoto and Ami come running over to Tenchi and Ryo-ohki. "What happened here?" Makoto asks, seeing the barrel a lot less full than earlier.

"Uh… ha ha ha… well, it seems that Ryo-ohki got out of my grasp last night, and… ha ha ha…" Tenchi says nervously.

"Your cat-rabbit hybrid ate a major portion of our rice," Ami comments.

"Say it isn't so, Tenchi!" Makoto says.

"Well… ha ha ha…" Tenchi says, putting his hand behind his head.

"That pet of yours is going to have to be put under major supervision," Ami remarks. "Otherwise, we will not be able to last the rest of our time here."

_"Why does that cabbit have to be so bad?" Makoto asks. "I want to start a relationship with Tenchi, but that thing's getting in the way… I don't know what he would think if I voted out Sasami."_

Asuka then walks over and sees what has happened to the rice.

"Stupid cabbit!" she snaps. "It's bad enough that we have hardly enough food for all of us, but that thing's eating more than the rest of us!"

Sasami walks over and takes Ryo-ohki off Tenchi.

"Ryo-ohki… you can't be a bad cabbit… you have to be good," she says.

"Meow," Ryo-ohki says sadly.

Makoto then cooks some rice for the tribe, although significantly less than usual, as she is worried about the tribe running out of rice soon. In the meantime, some tribe members have found something else to argue about.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Asuka yells at Brock.

"I'm sorry, I just can't keep my eyes off you," Brock replies.

"You're just like Shinji here- a little pervert!" Asuka shouts.

"Hey, wait a minute," Shinji says. "I'm no pervert!"

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka replies. "You're the one who tried to kiss me in the middle of the night- don't lie about it!"

Tenchi runs over, trying to calm the players down. "Okay, okay, now let's calm down here," he says.

"Oh, sure, let's get lectured by the guy who can't control a little pet," Asuka says.

"Hey, you try keeping Ryo-ohki under control at night… that's a hard thing to do," Tenchi responds.

"I will!" Asuka declares. "And I'll make sure that thing doesn't get into any of our food again!"

Ami can only shake her head while watching her fellow tribe members argue like this, while Sasami pets Ryo-ohki nervously, looking on.

Seireitei Tribe

The Jurai tribe is not the only tribe in a huge fight. While Naruto has run off to practice his ninja skills in the forest, the rest of the tribe is arguing over what Kon has told Orihime.

"So, you three are trying to knock out Orihime!" Toshiro yells at Armstrong, Ed and Temari. "Just what kind of coup are you planning on pulling?"

"We aren't pulling anything," Temari replies. "The point of this game is to vote out the weakest, and right now, Orihime's making our stomachs the weakest!"

"It's hard to cook in the wilderness like this," Kagome says. "I'm sure she didn't mean to mess up like that."

"Maybe it was just her personal style of cooking," Sango adds. "I don't think she meant to hurt the tribe."

"Regardless of whether she meant to or not, she did," Ed states. "And that's a fact that cannot be denied."

"Let's see what she has to say for herself," Armstrong comments.

Orihime looks sad and nervous. "I'm sorry, everyone," she says. "I guess I'm not a very good cook."

Temari crosses her arms. "The worst cook shouldn't be the one cooking, I think," she says.

"Now hold on!" Toshiro snaps. "She apologizes, and all you want to do is lecture her?"

"Well, I'm sorry, but she's got to know, she can't be wasting our food like that," Temari replies.

"It was inadvertent!" Toshiro yells. "Come on!"

"We'll have Armstrong cook from now on," Ed states. "That way, we won't have to worry about this occurring again."

The tribe members agree on this, and stop their argument, although mostly still looking angry at each other. It is a rather quiet afternoon after that argument, with the tribe members only whispering to each other afterward. Naruto comes back, seeing everyone not talking too much, and wonders what is going on.

"Hey, what's everyone so quiet for?" he asks. "I don't like it when everyone's just whispering like this. Speak up, everyone!"

"Okay, I will," Temari replies. "Shut up, Naruto!"

Naruto walks away, a little embarrassed, though somewhat satisfied that he was able to get someone to speak up.

Jurai Tribe

It is now evening, and Makoto is cooking their evening meal. However, when she begins handing out bowls of rice to everyone, they notice the rice is sorely lacking.

"Why so little rice?" Shinji asks.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ration it out like this if we're going to make it," Makoto replies. "We lost a whole lot of rice thanks to that cabbit."

_"This is a terrible scenario," Tenchi says. "They're all mad at me and Sasami thanks to Ryo-ohki… I feel bad for Ryo-ohki, but now we're suffering thanks to her."_

The group is a little quieter than normal while eating their meal. Maybe it is because Asuka is choosing to pout silently instead of arguing loudly, but most of the tribe members remain upset about what happened in the morning with Ryo-ohki.

_"This is very awkward," Ami says. "We're eating poorly, having lots of arguments, and in general having an awful time, and it all stems back to that cabbit."_

Seireitei Tribe

With Armstrong cooking the evening meal, the tension within the tribe has subsided. The tribe members are enjoying the wide variety of food that was presented to them from their reward challenge, and they are all very grateful to Armstrong for it.

"You know, you've really helped us, getting all this food for us," Sango tells Armstrong. "We do thank you."

"Don't thank me, thank these muscles!" Armstrong replies. "They're the ones that pulled me through that challenge, just like all sorts of other things in my life."

"This fish is great," Kagome says. "You cooked it very well."

"Yeah, you're a lot better cook than the one last night," Naruto adds.

Orihime looks sadly at her food, realizing that her poor cooking has caused her to become very much disliked in the tribe. Kon comes over, trying to cheer her up.

"Hey, Orihime, it's your idol, Kon!" Kon says, dancing around, making her laugh. "And you know what I'm best used for- being squeezed!"

Orihime then grabs Kon and squeezes him across her chest, with Kon loving every moment of it.

Jurai Tribe

That night, Makoto is sitting next to Tenchi, trying to get close to him.

"So tell me about yourself, Tenchi," Makoto says to him. "What do you do in life?"

"Well… ha ha ha… there really isn't much to tell… ha ha ha," Tenchi says with his usual nervous laughter.

"Oh, come on, Tenchi," Makoto continues, grabbing his hand. "Surely there's something special about you."

"Well, uh, not really, ha ha ha," Tenchi replies, putting his other hand behind his head.

"You stick with me, and I promise never to vote you out," Makoto tells him.

"That's, um, a good idea, yeah," Tenchi responds nervously.

_"Of course, that doesn't mean I won't vote out that girl of his so we can get rid of that stupid cabbit," Makoto says. "Besides, what's a little girl doing hanging around a guy like Tenchi anyway?"_

Asuka, meanwhile, is talking with Shinji about her strategy.

"Shinji, we've got to make sure we get rid of that guy who was a friend of the guy we voted off last time," Asuka tells him.

"You mean Brock?" Shinji replies.

"Of course I mean him!" Asuka says. "He's the one who's gotten on my nerves the most… now all we'll have to do is convince a couple of others to vote on our side again… that shouldn't be too hard."

"I hope not," Shinji responds.

Soon afterward, the tribe members go to sleep, with Asuka holding on to Ryo-ohki during the night.

Day 6

Jurai Tribe

"Ryo-ohki!"

This time, Ryo-ohki is not eating the tribe's food, but Brock's Poké Ball containing Onix, the lone Pokémon he was allowed to bring for the competition. Brock finally catches up to the running Ryo-ohki and grabs her, taking back his Poké Ball.

"Sasami!" Brock screams. "This cabbit of yours is really becoming a nuisance!"

Ryo-ohki meows sadly.

"I'm sorry, Brock," Sasami replies. "Ryo-ohki has a lot of energy."

_"That thing has got to go!" Brock says. "It's eating my food, it's stealing my Poké Ball… I don't mind Sasami, but her Ryo-ohki's really causing us trouble."_

Asuka looks on at Brock and Sasami, who are talking about Ryo-ohki's behavior. She then begins whispering more strategy to Shinji.

"Which one do we get rid of, Shinji?" she asks. "I want rid of that guy with the rock monster, but if that cat-rabbit thing is ruining everything, maybe it would be the best idea to vote off the blue-haired girl."

"I don't know, Asuka," Shinji replies. "Maybe we should just be patient."

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka snaps. "You can't ever make up your mind! Make a decision for once in your life!"

Makoto has gone out to cook rice, with Tenchi at her side.

"So, Tenchi, have you ever traveled far away?" she asks. "Or are you the type that stays in your house a lot?"

"Uh… ha ha ha… a little bit of both," Tenchi replies, putting his hand behind his head.

"Oh, you can tell me one or the other," Makoto says. "Trust me, I won't think any less of you either way."

Tenchi tries to figure out a way to explain how his house was shrunk to fit on a spaceship, but he quickly decides that isn't an option.

"Um… I really can't say which," he says.

"Oh, you're so shy," Makoto replies, with a laugh.

She then gives out small portions of rice to all of her teammates. Shinji looks disappointed to see such a small amount of rice.

"Are you sure we have to have so little?" he asks Makoto.

Makoto looks at Shinji sadly. "I'm sorry, Shinji," she responds, "but Ryo-ohki ate about half our rice… we've got to ration out our food, or we're not going to make it."

Shinji takes his rice reluctantly and begins to eat it. Asuka criticizes him for complaining.

"Can't you be satisfied with this?" she asks him. "You're never satisfied with anything! You're not satisfied with being an Eva pilot, you're not satisfied at school-"

"I'm satisfied at school!" Shinji interrupts. "I have friends there!"

"Ooh, this is a different Shinji- a Shinji with some attitude," Asuka responds. "I like this Shinji!"

Shinji sighs. He feels disappointed that it takes arguing with Asuka for her to say something good about him.

Meanwhile, Brock is talking with Sasami and Tenchi about a solution for the problems with Ryo-ohki.

"Does someone need to hold on to Ryo-ohki day and night?" Brock asks. "Because she seems to always be getting into something."

"I don't know," Sasami says, petting a glum-looking Ryo-ohki. "Ryo-ohki is usually a good cabbit."

"Maybe Ryo-ohki doesn't like being away from Ryoko," Tenchi offers. "That's a good possibility."

"Maybe," Sasami responds.

"Well, whatever the case is, you've got to keep her under control," Brock says. "Asuka kept her under control last night, but she gets up, and Ryo-ohki steals my Poké Ball."

"It won't happen again," Tenchi says. "And this time, I'll really make sure of it."

The tribe members are interrupted by Jet Black, who gives Tenchi a note.

"I'll see you later!" he tells them, walking away.

"What does it say, Tenchi?" Sasami asks.

"It's about our immunity challenge," Tenchi replies.

"If you want to be immune

It will be time to have a ball

Your tribe will have to try

To be the first to catch 'em all."

"Pokémon catching?" Brock asks. "That's right up my alley… we should have no problem."

"I hope so," Tenchi responds.

Seireitei Tribe

In contrast to the Jurai tribe, the Seireitei tribe is enjoying a large meal, not needing to worry about rationing out their food. They received such an enormous amount of food in the challenge that they are even able to overeat, as Naruto has.

"My stomach feels upset," Naruto says anxiously. "I've got to go!"

He runs off into the woods to take care of some business, leaving the others in his tribe looking on with annoyance.

"Do you smell something bad?" Sango asks.

"I think I know what that is," Toshiro replies.

Naruto comes back from the woods, with the tribe giving him angry looks as he returns.

"What?" he asks.

"You're disgusting," Temari replies.

Most of the rest of the afternoon goes on without incident, however. Inside the log cabin, Toshiro even begins to wonder why Sesshomaru has not bothered them for a while.

"Do you think Sesshomaru's planning something?" he asks Kagome and Sango. "He couldn't possibly just be choosing to leave us alone for two days like this."

Kagome shrugs her shoulders. "Maybe he has something else on his mind," she suggests. "I don't think he's as bad of a guy as you think."

"Well, he and I have certainly gotten off on the wrong foot," Toshiro replies. "He's one more stunt away from me killing him."

Kagome and Sango both give Toshiro a strange look. "What?" he asks.

"Oh, we just don't think he's that much of a pushover," Sango responds. "Trust us, if he was that beatable, I think InuYasha would have killed him already."

"Yeah, he's very powerful," Kagome explains. "I just would hope you wouldn't get hurt… he's strong enough to kill InuYasha, and it scares me."

Toshiro scoffs. "You don't know what spiritual pressure is," he tells the girls. "It's something much stronger than mere sword skills. This guy has no spiritual pressure. He wouldn't be much more difficult to defeat than a random seat member in any squad."

Sango and Kagome look both confused and nervous over these comments, but before they can say anything, they are interrupted by Orihime, who runs into the cabin abruptly.

"Hey, everybody, we have a note!" she says.

The tribe gathers around Orihime, who then reads the note.

"Here's what it says," she says.

"If you want to be immune

It will be time to have a ball

Your tribe will have to try

To be the first to catch 'em all."

"Catch them all?" Ed asks. "Catch what?"

"Whatever we have to catch, these muscles will catch them easily!" Armstrong declares.

"This challenge certainly sounds pretty interesting," Temari comments.

Jurai Tribe

It is getting close to the immunity challenge. Shinji, Brock and Sasami are all asking Makoto to make more rice, but she refuses.

"We don't have enough to keep on having meals like this," she tells them.

"But we need to be refreshed going into the challenge," Shinji says.

"Come on, we're really hungry," Brock says.

"Yeah, even Ryo-ohki needs some rice," Sasami adds.

"Sorry, no rice for now… especially not for that thing!" Makoto replies. "If we eat now, we'll be hungry before going to sleep, and that will cost us even more rice. Why don't you eat some of the fruit we've collected?"

The three tribe members walk sadly over to the dwindling collection of fruit, each choosing to eat one of the few remaining pieces of fruit.

_"I know it would be better to eat before the challenge, but if we run out of food, I'll feel responsible," Makoto says._

About a half-hour later, it is time for the tribe to go to the immunity challenge. Ami leads the group as they leave their camp.

"This shall be a very interesting challenge," she comments.

_"Is it better to win, or to lose and get rid of that cabbit?" Brock says._

"Let's win this one, Ryo-ohki!" Sasami says to Ryo-ohki.

"Meow!" Ryo-ohki replies.

Immunity Challenge

The two tribes walk towards the immunity challenge area, seeing Jet Black, who is standing by a large collection of Poké Balls.

"Come on in, guys!" he says.

All fifteen members walk over to their respective places.

"First, I need you to return the immunity plushie," he says to the Seireitei tribe.

Orihime walks over and hands a disappointed Kon over to Jet.

"Okay, time for today's immunity challenge," Jet says. "In these two cages I have a bunch of Poké Balls, which are used for capturing Pokémon. For this challenge, your team is going to have to use these Poké Balls in order to capture more Pokémon than your opponents. On my go, you will take your Poké Balls, then go out into the field and try to capture whatever Pokémon you may see. I have selected a number of Pokémon which should not be too difficult to catch. When both teams run out of Poké Balls, the team with more Pokémon in their Poké Balls wins immunity. Everyone understand?"

"Um, what are Pokémon?" Orihime asks.

Brock looks amazed, while Jet laughs. "Pokémon are simply monsters, usually that look like animals," he explains to her. "You don't need to know which is which in order to capture these."

"Okay," she responds.

"Remember: aim carefully!" Jet tells the players. "Seireitei, you have one extra member. You must sit someone out. Who will it be?"

"Orihime," Temari says.

"Very well then, Orihime will sit out this challenge," Jet says. "Survivors ready, go!"

Each tribe member grabs a bunch of Poké Balls and rushes out towards the field. There they see a collection of small Pokémon, such as Meowths, Mankeys, Sandshrews and Pidgeys.

"So we just aim and fire?" Temari asks.

"I guess," Toshiro responds. "There doesn't seem to be much more to it than that."

The Seireitei tribe members begin throwing their Poké Balls at the Pokémon, but none of them are caught. They look amazed as their Poké Balls harmlessly bounce off the Pokémon.

"What's going on here?" Ed asks angrily.

Meanwhile, Brock's Onix is fighting against Pokémon, knocking them down, then allowing Brock and his Jurai teammates to fire Poké Balls at them and catch them. After the Jurai tribe has caught 7 Pokémon, the Seireitei members begin to catch on.

"I guess we have to weaken them first," Toshiro says.

"That's easy enough," Sango says. "Hiraikotsu!"

She throws her boomerang into the field, knocking down several Pokémon. Her teammates then catch a few of the Pokémon. Temari begins slapping Pokémon with her fan, weakening them, and allowing her fellow tribe members to catch even more.

"Come on, we've got to keep pace!" Tenchi says, watching the Seireitei players begin to make a comeback.

Onix does an exceptional job, rushing through the field and knocking down Pokémon just enough to weaken them for capture. However, the Jurai tribe quickly runs out of Poké Balls, leaving them with 15 captures.

"We can make a comeback!" Kagome says. "Keep going!"

The Seireitei tribe begins to run out of Poké Balls, but with exceptional aim and luck, they pull within one Pokémon of the Jurai tribe. Naruto is left with the team's two remaining Poké Balls.

"Come on, Naruto!" Temari shouts. "Catch two, and we win!"

Naruto launches one of his Poké Balls at a Pokémon weakened by Temari's fan. However, he misses!

"It's okay, just catch it this time," Kagome says.

Naruto fires again… but he misses again!

"No!" Toshiro cries.

Jet Black uses a special Pokédex to count how many Pokémon each tribe caught.

"15 Pokémon caught by Jurai… 14 Pokémon caught by Seireitei!" he announces. "Jurai wins immunity!"

The Jurai tribe members begin to celebrate. Most of the Seireitei players look at Naruto angrily, after his two crucial misses.

"Here's the immunity plushie, Makoto!" Jet tells Makoto, handing her Kon.

"Thank you," Makoto replies, squeezing Kon tightly to her chest.

_Makoto? _Kon thinks. _I really like you now!_

"You can head back to camp," Jet says. "Seireitei, I'll see you tonight for Tribal Council, at the same place where you came in… the Bone-Eater's Well."

The contestants head back to their respective camps, with the Jurai tribe members jubilant, while the Seireitei tribe members are disappointed.

Jurai Tribe

"We won, Ryo-ohki, we won!" Sasami says.

"Great job, Brock," Ami tells Brock.

"Well, we should have won by more… I'm kind of disappointed that the other team caught on to how to catch Pokémon," Brock replies.

"Who cares? At least we don't have to vote anyone out," Asuka says.

_"Although I wouldn't mind voting someone out," Asuka says._

Makoto then cooks some rice for the tribe in celebration.

"I guess this rice was worth waiting for," Shinji comments.

"Let's keep Jurai alive and strong!" Tenchi says to all his teammates, who cheer at his statement.

Seireitei Tribe

_"Well, it had to happen sometime," Toshiro says. "Time to vote someone off… now it's time for my alliance with the girls to work."_

Toshiro goes over to Sango and Kagome in the cabin to talk to them about their voting strategy.

"We have to vote out the weakest, the one who's caused us the most trouble so far," he tells them.

"I understand," Sango replies. "So who does that mean?"

"Well," he says, "I was thinking we should vote out…"

He is interrupted by Orihime walking into the cabin.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" she asks. "Are you ready for the Tribal Council meeting tonight?"

"We were just talking about that," Kagome replies. "It's a little nerve-wracking."

Orihime smiles. "Well, I'm not scared!" she declares. "I think it's going to be fun!"

The other three just shake their heads at Orihime's cheerfulness.

Meanwhile, Temari, Armstrong and Ed are talking over who they should vote out.

"It's either Orihime or Naruto," Temari tells them. "Naruto cost us the challenge, and Orihime's cooking cost us our stomachs."

"That truly was a dreadful meal," Ed comments.

"These muscles wouldn't have missed those Pokémon!" Armstrong adds.

"Well, we're going to have to make up our minds," Temari says. "It's important we get this first vote right."

The tribe members soon after gather their things and head off to Tribal Council.

Tribal Council

"Come on in, guys!" Jet says cheerfully, as the disappointed tribe members walk into the Tribal Council area, which has places for them to sit, as well as a voting booth a little bit away, and the Bone Eater's Well, all surrounding a fire in the middle.

"Sorry to see you guys here," he adds. "But you're here, so each one of you should find his or her torch over there, and light it in the fire. In this game, your fire on your torch represents your life in this game. Once it goes out, so are you extinguished from this game."

"What if it rains?" Temari asks.

Jet looks annoyed, knowing Makoto had asked this question the Tribal Council before. "Come on, work with me here," he tells her.

After the tribe members get their torches lit, Jet directs them to put them back over where they collected them, and they do so.

"Okay, let's talk a little bit," Jet says to them. "How have these first six days been for you?"

"Pretty good," Ed replies. "We were especially helped by getting all that food."

"Oh yes, the reward challenge," Jet states. "So, you took all that pain for your team, Armstrong. Was it all worth it?"

"Absolutely!" Armstrong replies. "I'm very happy that I was able to help out the tribe."

"As long as the food is cooked right," Temari adds.

"Whoa, what's this?" Jet asks, happy to hear a bit of controversy. "Was there a problem with the food?"

"Yeah, Orihime cooked our food, and it tasted really bad!" Naruto says.

"It was an unfortunate situation," Sango adds.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Orihime says.

"So, Orihime cooked a meal, and it didn't turn out too good?" Jet says.

"Yeah, we had quite a bit of trouble with that," Kagome responds. "Armstrong has been cooking our meals ever since."

"I cook them to perfection!" Armstrong remarks.

Jet looks happy to see that the tribe had some controversy, but he hopes to find more to talk about. "So, anything else been annoying over your time here?" he asks.

"Sesshomaru," Toshiro grumbles.

"Sesshomaru?" Jet asks. "You mean the demon whose property your camp is on?"

"Yeah," Toshiro replies. "He's always popping up and starting arguments with me. He's put out our fire and temporarily stolen our food. If he does one more thing, I'll be forced to kill him."

"Kill him?" Jet asks, rubbing his hands together. "So, it's that big of a problem?"

"Hey, the guy's bullying our whole tribe, and I don't like it," Toshiro comments. "If he did that in the Soul Society, he'd be fought, and probably slaughtered. The same thing will occur if he bothers us again."

"Well, speaking of eliminating someone, we're about to do that right now," Jet says. "It's time to vote. Armstrong, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally The Vote" plays, as the players one by one get up from their seats, walk over to the voting booth, and place their votes.

Armstrong goes to vote.

Ed goes to vote.

Kagome goes to vote.

Naruto goes to vote.

_"I'm voting for Orihime," Naruto says. "She cooked a really awful meal, and I don't think I could stand something like that again."_

Orihime goes to vote.

_"My vote goes to Naruto," Orihime says. "Sorry!"_

Sango goes to vote.

Temari goes to vote.

Toshiro goes to vote.

After Toshiro comes back from voting, Jet says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet goes over to the voting booth, rearranges the votes in the order he wants them, then returns to the players.

"After the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump in the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet says. "The first vote is for… Orihime."

Orihime looks sad upon seeing her name on the piece of paper.

"The second vote," Jet says, "is for Naruto."

Naruto looks a little angry at seeing his name.

"The third vote is for Naruto," Jet says.

Naruto looks angrier.

"The fourth vote… Naruto," Jet states.

Naruto begins to look furious, grunting.

"The fifth vote… Naruto," Jet says. "That's four votes Naruto, one vote Orihime."

Naruto is really upset at this point, continuing to grunt.

"The second person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan," Jet says, "is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Arrrrrrgh!" Naruto grumbles.

Naruto gets up and grabs his torch. He then holds it before Jet Black.

"Naruto, the tribe has spoken," Jet says, before snuffing out Naruto's torch with his snuffer.

Naruto then walks toward the Bone-Eater's Well and hops in it.

"It appears this tribe has made the decision to vote out the weakest," Jet comments. "We'll see if that was a good decision in the days to come. You can head back to camp."

The tribe members walk back toward their camp, feeling quite satisfied over their decision to vote out Naruto.

_"Hmmmph!" Naruto says. "I never felt like I belonged there anyway. But you know what, I'm going to become better and better, and then I'm going to become the next Hokage! Then no one will vote me out, they'll all look up to me and respect me! Believe it!"_

(Who voted for whom:

Armstrong- Naruto

Ed- Naruto

Kagome- Naruto

Naruto- Orihime

Orihime- Naruto

Sango- Naruto

Temari- Naruto

Toshiro- Naruto)

Scenes from our next episode:

_Toshiro and Sesshomaru get into a fight:_

Toshiro pulls out his zanpakuto, which is met by Sesshomaru's Tokijin.

--

_The fight gets intense:_

"Bankai!"

--

_And things are the same as always between Asuka and Shinji:_

"Shinji! You pervert! What are you doing in my room!" Asuka yells.


	3. Bankai: Days 7, 8, 9

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, arguing with Brock

Shinji Ikari, sighing

Makoto Kino, cooking rice

Ami Mizuno, shaking her head

Sasami, apologizing to Brock

Tenchi Masaki, trying to stop an argument

Brock, throwing a Poké Ball

Orihime Inoue, cooking a meal

Toshiro Hitsugaya, talking with Kagome and Sango

Sango, trying to reason with Temari

Kagome Higurashi, trying to encourage the tribe

Alex Louis Armstrong, being attacked by Soi Fon

Edward Elric, talking about who to vote out

Temari, arguing with Toshiro

--

_Bankai_

Day 7

Seireitei Tribe

The players are all awakened early in the morning by the smell of something burning. It does not take long to realize that the thing burning is the very cabin they are in.

"What's going on?" Ed asks.

"This place is on fire somehow… get some water!" Temari replies.

"Everyone out of the cabin!" Toshiro yells. "I'll take care of this."

The other characters run out of the cabin, several of them worried about Toshiro staying inside it. Toshiro then unleashes his zanpakuto, sending ice at the fire. His ice is so powerful that it instantly extinguishes the fire. He then puts away his zanpakuto.

"Okay, it's safe now," he tells the tribe.

The tribe members come running back inside the cabin, seeing that he did indeed put out the fire.

"Wow!" Kagome exclaims. "How did you do that?"

"The same way I'm going to kill whoever did that to us," Toshiro says, tapping his zanpakuto.

Toshiro then walks around the cabin, over to the side where it was burning. He does not see anyone immediately, but looking off into the distance, he sees a running Jaken.

"So, it was him," he mutters.

He dashes toward Jaken, who turns around to see Toshiro coming, and tries to speed up. However, Jaken ends up tripping, allowing Toshiro to come right up to him and grab him.

"Tell me: why did you try to kill us?" Toshiro asks Jaken.

"I was only following Lord Sesshomaru's orders!" Jaken responds.

Toshiro and Jaken are interrupted by Sesshomaru, who walks up to Toshiro and grabs Jaken off him.

"It was your idea to try to burn down our cabin, wasn't it?" Toshiro asks.

"Your cabin does not belong on my territory," Sesshomaru replies. "You can either choose to leave my territory or be destroyed."

"It wasn't our choice to be on your territory!" Toshiro snaps.

"Then perhaps you should choose to get off it," Sesshomaru responds.

"We're not going to do that," Toshiro states.

"In that case," Sesshomaru says, ready to pull out his Tokijin, "I'm going to have to kill each and every one of you."

Toshiro smiles slightly. "Not unless I kill you first!" he replies.

Toshiro pulls out his zanpakuto, which is met by Sesshomaru's Tokijin. The two swords clash back and forth. Toshiro is surprised by Sesshomaru's strength, as Sesshomaru begins to push him backward.

"Face it, boy, you cannot defeat me," Sesshomaru says. "I advise you give up before I am forced to kill you."

"I haven't even released my spiritual pressure yet!" Toshiro replies, building up his spiritual pressure. He then begins to take the offensive in the battle against Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru looks surprised to see a sudden increase in Toshiro's power, but he continues to hold his own against him.

"Are you finished yet?" he asks Toshiro, who continues to fight against him, but remains unable to defeat him.

"No… not at all!" Toshiro responds. "Bankai!"

Toshiro releases his Bankai. Sesshomaru is surprised to see Toshiro gain ice wings and a tail, but he remains as stern as ever.

"So, is that your true form, boy?" he asks.

"This is my Bankai, and it's going to be the last thing you see!" Toshiro yells.

Toshiro swings his zanpakuto towards Sesshomaru, knocking his Tensaiga off him and sending it flying. Sesshomaru strikes back with his Tokijin, trying to hold up against the much stronger power of Toshiro's zanpakuto.

"Freeze!" Toshiro yells, swinging his zanpakuto at Sesshomaru again. This time, Sesshomaru is frozen inside a block of ice.

"Now it's over for you," Toshiro says. He goes to stab Sesshomaru, but suddenly the block of ice begins shaking, and it shatters into a million ice cubes. Sesshomaru's demon power is released, having his eyes change colors and his power increase greatly. He begins to swing wildly at Toshiro with his Tokijin. Toshiro finds himself surprised to be pushed back by Sesshomaru.

"I can't feel your spiritual pressure, but you must have some," Toshiro says. "But you're not going to escape!"

With a swing of his zanpakuto, Toshiro surrounds Sesshomaru with pillars of ice. Sesshomaru drops his Tokijin, but he begins slashing through the ice with his claws. He is a monster now, with no restraint in his actions. He begins slashing wildly at Toshiro, who narrowly escapes his claws.

"Enough is enough!" Toshiro screams, swinging his zanpakuto at Sesshomaru, striking him with full force and knocking him to the ground. Sesshomaru then lies on the ground, motionless.

"That's it," Toshiro says, ending his bankai. He walks away from Sesshomaru, going back to his camp, feeling quite satisfied about having defeated his enemy.

Jurai Tribe

Ryo-ohki is meowing sadly over and over. Sasami tries to comfort her by petting her.

"What's the matter, Ryo-ohki?" Tenchi asks.

"Meow," Ryo-ohki says sadly.

"I think Ryo-ohki is hungry," Sasami says.

"Why don't we go look for carrots for Ryo-ohki?" Tenchi asks Sasami.

"Okay, Tenchi," Sasami replies.

The two of them go off to try to find carrots for Ryo-ohki, leaving the other five characters with an opportunity to talk about how they feel about the cabbit.

"That thing's got to go!" Brock declares.

"It certainly is annoying," Asuka concurs.

"Yes, but how is that fair to Sasami?" Ami asks. "She hasn't caused us any trouble."

"Her pet has caused us more than enough trouble!" Makoto replies.

"I hope they find food for it, or else it's going to keep on eating our food," Shinji comments.

Tenchi and Sasami find a bunch of carrots for Ryo-ohki, who eats them happily. They then eat some of the rice cooked for them by Makoto, who continues to ration it out little by little.

"I think we need to gather more fruit from the nearby trees," Ami suggests. "Is anyone willing to help me?"

Asuka looks bored. "You're on your own with this one, Wonder Girl," she says.

Brock, however, seems to be excited. "Why, I'd love to gather fruit with such a lovely young lady like you," he says, grabbing a flustered Ami's hand. "You and I shall pick the best of the fruits of the trees together, while having a fruitful relationship."

"On second thought," Ami says, "maybe I will go on my own."

After the meal, Ami goes off into the many nearby trees to pick some fruit, while Asuka sits around complaining.

"Look at her," she says to Shinji. "Doesn't she think she's something? She reminds me so much of that stupid Ayanami. Oh, I can't stand it!"

"You know," he starts to say, "Rei isn't so bad once-"

"Oh, so you like Wonder Girl, don't you, Shinji?" Asuka replies. "Why don't you two just go fall in love? Go get married or something? The First Child and the Third Child, the two lovebirds- it's enough to make me sick!"

Shinji sighs. He is frustrated to not be able to shake Asuka's ever-criticizing attitude.

_"Asuka's a great girl, but why does she have to pick on me so much?" Shinji says. "She and I would make a great alliance if she would just treat me nicer."_

Meanwhile, Makoto tries to get closer to Tenchi.

"So, Tenchi," she says, sitting close to him, "I was wondering… do you have any hidden… um, how can I put this, talent? Oh no, that's not the right word, not for you, anyway… but, uh, maybe some sort of secret ability?"

Tenchi looks embarrassed. "Uh, well, um, ha ha ha," he says nervously, putting his hand behind his head. "I guess I'm a good swordfighter."

"Oh, really?" Makoto says longingly, grabbing Tenchi's hand. "I think that's so amazing."

"Yeah, I guess," Tenchi laughs. "What about you?"

"Oh, me?" Makoto replies. "Nothing much, really. I mean, I have lots of talent, as you can see, but I wouldn't say I have any secrets… nope, not really."

_"I can't give my secrets away to him, even if we do fall in love," Makoto says._

Seireitei Tribe

The other tribe members look at Toshiro in amazement, not believing what he has told them.

"You- you killed Sesshomaru?" Kagome says.

"You actually managed to defeat him?" Sango says.

"He may not be dead, but I beat him so he won't think about bothering us again," Toshiro replies. "He was a tough opponent for having no spiritual pressure… he must have it, I know it, I just couldn't feel it."

Temari is not impressed, however. "Yeah, so what, you beat an opponent," she comments. "Big deal. I'm sure all of us have faced a formidable foe at some point and defeated them."

"But this was the mighty Sesshomaru!" Kagome says. "The only demon I've seen that's stronger than him is Naraku!"

"At least we won't have him ruining things around here anymore," Ed says.

"He sent his pawn to try to bully us this time, but I let him know very well that I won't stand for his antics anymore," Toshiro states. "Even if he survives, I don't think he'll do anything to us after suffering that beating."

Meanwhile, out in the field where the battle took place, Jaken has grabbed Tensaiga and rushed over to check on Sesshomaru's health.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru! Are you all right?" he asks.

"I am fine, Jaken," Sesshomaru responds, taking Tensaiga from Jaken. "I lost to a worthy opponent, but we shall meet again, and next time, I'll know exactly how to beat him. Is Rin okay?"

"Rin! Who cares about Rin?" Jaken exclaims. "All I care about is you!"

Sesshomaru stands up and begins walking away.

"Wait!" Jaken shouts. "Where are you off to? Where are you going? Wait for me!"

Back at the cabin, Armstrong has cooked a nice meal for the team and is enjoying it with his teammates.

"This is very good!" Orihime tells him.

"Thank you," Armstrong replies. "You shouldn't expect anything less from me!"

The tribe members are interrupted by Jet Black, who comes walking right into their camp, grabbing a piece of fish on Ed's plate, and eating it.

"Hey, that was mine!" Ed exclaims.

"That's one of the perks of being the host," Jet tells Ed. "Eat whatever I like. But for you players- no, that's not the case at all."

"What are you talking about?" Temari asks. "Ever since we won that last reward, we've had lots of food."

"Maybe so," Jet replies. "But I bet it isn't all that comfortable in that log cabin of yours."

"It's all right," Temari says.

"Well," Jet says with a laugh, "it could be a whole lot better, trust me. I'll see you at the reward challenge in just a bit… and don't eat too much before you get there! See you!"

The players stare at Jet as he walks away.

"What was that about?" Toshiro asks.

"Well, maybe this is another painful challenge," Sango suggests. "That might be why he told us not to eat too much before it."

"Ah, forget that," Ed says. "I'm eating as much as I like."

"Same with me," Orihime adds.

Jurai Tribe

Tenchi and Sasami are surprised to see a friend of theirs join them at their camp: Washu, who suddenly teleported there.

"So, how have things been going for you?" she asks them.

"Pretty good, except for Ryo-ohki eating too much," Sasami replies.

"Yeah, we've had an okay time so far," Tenchi responds.

Washu looks at the shelter that the tribe has been sleeping under. "Boy, that doesn't seem too comfortable, does it?" she asks, pointing over at their shelter.

"It's not too bad," Tenchi answers.

"Well, I've got a way that it could be a whole lot better!" Washu states. "Just win your reward challenge, and you'll get it!"

"Huh?" Tenchi asks.

But before Tenchi can get a response, Washu teleports away.

"What was that about, Tenchi?" Sasami asks.

"I don't know, Sasami," Tenchi replies.

After a couple hours of relaxing, the Jurai tribe members head off to the reward challenge.

Reward Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet Black shouts to the contestants, who slowly walk into the reward challenge area and go to their designated places.

"Jurai, this is your first chance to see the new Seireitei tribe," he says. "Naruto Uzumaki, voted out last night."

The Jurai tribe members give little response to Jet's announcement.

"I am joined here by Washu, the self-proclaimed greatest scientist in the universe," Jet continues. "She will explain today's challenge."

"Thank you, Jet," Washu says. "Neither of your shelters are anything to brag about… some branches over some logs? That's pathetic. And that cabin may not be bad, but it's not nearly as good as what I can make for you. The winner of this challenge will win a large house, complete with bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms and a kitchen. Since I am such a great scientist, I'll be able to build your house in no time at all! But in order to win it, you've got to complete this challenge."

"That's right," Jet replies. "Both tribes are going to have to build a Mecha-Washu. All the pieces are here, ready to be built, but you'll have to figure out on your own how to put them together. The first tribe to correctly put together Mecha-Washu wins reward! Everyone understand?"

The players collectively nod their heads.

"Okay," Jet says. "Survivors ready, go!"

Both tribes scramble over to the mechanical pieces and go to work on trying to put them together. Tenchi and Sasami tell their Jurai teammates where each piece should go, but after little success, Asuka takes over.

"I think I would know more about a mecha than you," she says.

While Asuka leads the Jurai tribe, the Seireitei tribe is struggling greatly with putting together the Mecha-Washu. Ed, though, has an idea.

"Let me try a little bit of alchemy," he says.

He claps his hands together, then presses down on the ground in front of some of the pieces. Seconds later, the pieces are all connected to each other to form what looks like a giant version of Washu.

"You did it!" Orihime exclaims to Ed.

"Let's see," Washu says. "Yes, that looks right… and so does that… oh no, you don't have it!"

"What?" Ed exclaims.

"You have built Mecha-Washu in reverse," Washu explains. "The colors are all backward."

"Why does that matter?" Ed yells.

"Sorry, but you haven't won yet," Washu says.

Meanwhile, under Asuka's leadership, the Jurai tribe members put together Mecha-Washu, looking at Washu herself to make sure they have the pieces on the right sides. A few minutes later, with Ed still protesting, they call out to Washu.

"We've got it!" Makoto exclaims.

"Let me see about that," Washu replies.

She looks long and hard at the Mecha-Washu that the Jurai tribe has built, then comes to a conclusion.

"You win!" she shouts.

"Jurai wins reward!" Jet announces.

"This is totally unfair! I had it built first!" Ed protests.

"It has to be built perfectly, just like me," Washu replies. "You didn't get it right, with the colors reversed. Sorry, but your science just isn't as good as mine."

The Seireitei tribe members walk away slowly, with Ed still complaining as they do.

"Now, as for you," Washu says. "You're going to get your own house, which I will make for you. I'm coming with you back to your camp to make it for you!"

"Thanks, Washu," Tenchi replies.

"Hey, hey, I think someone else here deserves some thanks," Asuka says. "Like me!"

The other tribe members ignore her and begin following Washu back towards their camp, save for Shinji.

"I appreciate it, Asuka," Shinji tells her.

"Oh?" Asuka replies, in a soft voice. "That's very nice of- hey, I don't care what you think anyway! Don't even try to sweet talk to me!"

Shinji sighs, shaking his head, while following the rest of his tribe members back towards their camp.

Seireitei Tribe

_"Most of us are pretty mad at the pipsqueak, after he shows off his science and then fails to come through," Toshiro says. "I don't understand how a guy can pretend he's so great and then fail us so miserably like that."_

Ed continues to plead his case to his fellow tribe members back at camp, some (Kagome, Orihime) of which are sympathetic; others (Temari, Toshiro) of which are angry.

"It's okay, Ed," Orihime says. "You didn't know that it had to be perfect."

"Shouldn't he have figured it had to be perfect?" Temari asks. "We could have probably figured out how to get it right, but he rushed to complete it, and ended up losing it for us."

_"This is annoying," Ed says. "I use my alchemy in order to help out the tribe, and it backfires because I didn't get it completely perfect. Now I've got people mad at me, although they probably couldn't have done better themselves."_

Jurai Tribe

The tribe members show Washu where their shelter currently is. She then finds a spot for their new house, and pulls out a laser gun. She shoots the gun, and out comes a brand new house, complete with all kinds of furnishings.

"Wow!" Sasami exclaims.

"How is that even possible?" Brock asks.

"Thank you so much, Washu," Tenchi tells her.

"Eh, it's no problem, nothing much, really," Washu replies. "Just a little bit of science, that's all. Easy stuff for someone as great as me."

Two dolls pop up on Washu's shoulders, one on each shoulder.

"Yes, Washu, you are great!" one doll says.

"Washu, Washu, you're the best!" the other doll says.

"But don't take my word for it," Washu says, before teleporting away.

The tribe members run inside their new home, finding all sorts of rooms in the three-level house. Each picks their own bed in the house, while Ryo-ohki finds a place to sleep on the couch in one of the living rooms. Makoto heads to the kitchen and begins cooking some rice for the tribe, while Brock goes into a living room and turns on the television that is located there. The entire tribe begins to enjoy all the luxuries of this very nice house. All is well, until…

"Shinji! You pervert! What are you doing in my room!" Asuka yells.

"I'm sorry, Asuka, I didn't know-"

"Oh, sure, you didn't know," Asuka replies. "Get out of here immediately!"

Shinji runs out of Asuka's room, after entering it with the intent of talking to her, not realizing that Asuka was preparing to take a shower.

_"Oh, that stupid Shinji! Always trying to take a peek," Asuka says. "I can't believe I have to have an alliance with him!"_

Seireitei Tribe

The players are eating some food that has been cooked by Armstrong, though most of them do not seem to be in a very pleasant mood. They begin to look at their log cabin as if it isn't much at all.

"You know, things could be a lot better around here if you hadn't screwed up!" Toshiro yells at Ed.

"Well, excuse me, but I did a whole lot more than you did!" Ed replies angrily.

"Hey, I've been taking care of other business, such as taking out Sesshomaru," Toshiro says. "A pipsqueak like you couldn't do anything like that."

"I'm no pipsqueak!" Ed screams. "And besides, you're not one to talk about being short!"

"Okay, okay," Kagome says, stepping in between the two short arguing characters, hoping to end their squabble. "We don't need to have a fight here."

Toshiro walks away angrily, while Ed crosses his arms and looks away. Kagome gives a nervous smile.

_"Well, at least I got them to stop fighting," Kagome says. "But with those two arguing like that, we could end up with a real divide in our tribe."_

Orihime, meanwhile, is talking with Sango in the log cabin.

"What do you do with your boomerang?" Orihime asks.

"I kill demons with it," Sango replies. "It's part of my profession as a demon-slayer."

"Wow," Orihime says. "Is it hard?"

"Sometimes," Sango responds. "But I've become very good at it over the years, so it really isn't as difficult for me as it is for someone who would just be starting out at it."

"Interesting," Orihime says.

"I only wish… my brother…" Sango says, with her voice trailing off.

"My brother died," Orihime tells Sango. "I understand your pain."

"It's not quite like that… but similar, in a way," Sango replies. "He's alive, but controlled by our enemy."

As the two of them talk about their brothers, Temari decides to strategize with Armstrong.

"This is a very important upcoming vote, whenever we vote next," Temari says to Armstrong, as he cooks rice for the tribe. "Regardless of whether Ed failed this last time, we have to come together as a trio and put our votes together."

"But that's only three," Armstrong replies. "We need four to get our vote to win."

"That's going to be our problem," Temari says. "Hopefully I can convince one of the others to join us, if only temporarily…"

Jurai Tribe

The tribe members have enjoyed their meal of rice, and now they are sitting in one of two living rooms, talking to each other: Sasami, Tenchi and Makoto in one, and Ami, Brock, Asuka and Shinji in the other. Asuka is of course in charge of the conversation.

"Being an Eva pilot is so glorious, isn't it, Shinji?" Asuka says.

"I don't really think so," Shinji replies.

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka says. "Of course it's an honor to be an Eva pilot. Think of all the good things we do and how important we are."

"It doesn't feel that way to me," Shinji responds.

"How can you possibly feel that way?" Asuka yells at him.

"Let him go," Ami says, butting in. "He has a right to his opinion."

"Oh, sure, like I'm going to listen to you, Wonder Girl," Asuka replies. "Why do you think you're so smart, anyway?"

"I have the highest grade point average in my high school," Ami states.

"High school? That's nothing!" Asuka declares. "I've already graduated from college! I'm just going to high school in order to learn a new language, but otherwise, I'm already through with college!"

"That's pretty amazing," Brock says. "I like a girl with smarts."

"Don't you even think about coming over here, you pervert!" Asuka snaps, as Brock walks over towards her.

Makoto, meanwhile, flirts with Tenchi while Sasami pets Ryo-ohki. As Tenchi becomes more and more tired, she begins to try to convince him that they're in love.

"It's just you and me, Tenchi," she whispers to him. "You and I- we can get through this game together… forget about the past, forget about that cabbit… just you and me…"

Tenchi then falls asleep, and Makoto gives him a kiss on the cheek.

"Good night, Tenchi," she says, before leaving the room and heading towards her own bedroom.

_"That Makoto makes me worried," Sasami says. "She keeps on trying to flirt with Tenchi."_

The tribe members all then go to sleep in their nice new house built by Washu.

Day 8

Seireitei Tribe

The team wakes up this morning without incident. For the first time since the game has begun, Toshiro is feeling at ease, knowing that he has defeated Sesshomaru. He is relaxing near Kagome and Sango, talking with them.

"You know," Kagome says with a laugh, "you remind me a lot of InuYasha."

"Who exactly is this InuYasha?" Toshiro asks.

"InuYasha is Sesshomaru's brother," Kagome replies. "But he's not mean like Sesshomaru… but he does like fighting…"

"InuYasha and Kagome are pretty close," Sango explains, causing Kagome to blush.

Toshiro leans back, resting his head against the wall. "I can see why that Sesshomaru gets others angry at him," he says. "It didn't take long for him to get me mad."

"I do hope he is all right, though," Kagome says.

"What?!" Toshiro yells. "He's a monster, Kagome! I don't care if he's the brother of this InuYasha character, he's a rotten guy all around, and he's just trouble. It's better for the rest of us if he's out of it."

"Yes, but what about Rin?" Kagome asks.

"Rin?" Toshiro responds.

"Rin is the little girl that Sesshomaru takes care of," Kagome explains. "if Sesshomaru is dead, who's going to take care of her?"

"Sesshomaru takes care of a little girl?" Toshiro asks incredulously.

"Yes, and she trusts Sesshomaru totally," Sango answers. "For some reason Sesshomaru is different when it comes to her."

Toshiro looks a little annoyed. "Well, he's not dead," he says, sounding angry about it. "So I guess we don't have to worry about that problem."

Outside, Orihime is cooking her own meal, choosing to eat before any of the others. She takes all sorts of random pieces of food from the large amount of food the team earned, throwing them together, and cooking them in a large pot. No one notices until she is almost finished, when the pot begins to let off a very foul smell.

"What's that?" Ed asks.

Ed, Armstrong and Temari, who have been talking to each other outside, rush over to the fire to see Orihime taking out her food out of the pot, and they smell the truly awful stench.

"What did you cook?!" Temari asks.

"Oh, this is my specialty," Orihime replies. "It's just for me… not for the rest of you, so you don't have to eat it… it's got a little bit of celery, a little bit of cabbage…"

The three others do not stay to listen to Orihime's explanation, as they walk away while she still explains all the ingredients she has put into her concoction. She then begins to eat her food, which would be considered disgusting by anyone else on her team.

_"That Orihime is really bringing down our tribe," Ed says. "She cooks very poorly, she wastes our food, and she isn't any help in challenges. I say we get rid of her in the next vote."_

Jurai Tribe

"Shinji, you stupid pervert!"

The yelling is from Asuka, who is just stepping out of the shower when Shinji accidentally walks into the bathroom.

"I can't believe that there were no locks put into the doors of this house," Asuka comments. "That stupid scientist forgot one of the simplest things, so now I've got perverts like that Shinji trying to peek at me."

Shinji, meanwhile, is standing outside the door, with his heart racing, feeling extremely embarrassed. He did not know Asuka was in the shower, and he went to use the bathroom, only to have that shocking encounter.

"Hey, Shinji!" Brock says, walking down the hall, seeing Shinji standing there. "How's it going?"

He then opens the bathroom door.

"Pervert!"

Meanwhile, Makoto is talking privately with Ami, about Tenchi in particular. Makoto is standing by the couch Ami is sitting on, with both looking in the direction of the television.

"What do you think- could we possibly make it?" she asks.

"No," Ami promptly responds.

"Come on," Makoto pleads. "You have to have some faith in me, that I could keep a relationship with him."

"I give it until the time either of you is voted off," Ami replies.

"But… what if we go to the final two?" Makoto asks.

Ami looks aghast. "You mean, you would turn on me, over some guy you just met a week ago?" she asks.

"No, no," Makoto quickly replies. "I mean… you know, just in case he voted out you if we were the final three remaining."

Ami looks up at Makoto. "You're dreaming," she says. "I want to win this game too, you know."

"But if we're together, I refuse to vote against him," Makoto says.

"And that girl…?" Ami asks.

"Sasami? I'd vote her out in an instant," Makoto replies.

Just then, the two Sailor Senshi see Sasami walk into the room. She has clearly heard the last statement made by Makoto. She turns and runs back towards another room, crying for Tenchi.

"Well, looks like your relationship is going to last a little shorter than even I thought," Ami remarks.

"Wait!" Makoto shouts, running after Sasami.

Upstairs, things have finally been sorted out between the now-dressed Asuka and the two boys, both of which have explained that their entrance into the bathroom was clearly inadvertent. Although Asuka had a hard time believing this at first, she finally comes to the conclusion that they must be telling the truth.

"It's that Washu's fault," she comments to the other two, all sitting on the floor outside the bathroom. "She built a house with no locks to any of the doors… why would she do that?"

"Maybe she did that on purpose," Shinji remarks.

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka says. "Who would possibly build a house with no locks on purpose? It had to have been an accident! I can't believe even you would think that, Shinji!"

Shinji sighs, deciding not to tell Asuka his reasoning behind his statement.

"Well, now that we've solved that problem, let's go see if Makoto is making us something to eat," Brock says.

"I agree," Shinji says.

The three all get up to go downstairs. They all get up at the same time, and as they do, Shinji accidentally bumps his hand into a certain spot behind Asuka…

"You stupid little pervert Shinji!"

Seireitei Tribe

The tribe members besides Orihime are eating a meal that has been cooked by Armstrong. They are all enjoying it, although there seems to be an invisible wall of tension built between Temari's alliance (Armstrong, Ed and her) and Orihime. They whisper ideas about their voting, with Orihime looking on, feeling quite worried.

"Hey, what's all the whispering about?" Toshiro asks.

Armstrong and Ed do not know what to say. Temari, however, has no qualms in speaking up to him.

"I think we have the right to talk about what we want to talk about," she responds.

"I don't think that's the best for the tribe," Toshiro replies, looking quite angry.

"This game isn't all about the tribe," Temari says.

"It is right now!" Toshiro yells.

"All right, all right," Kagome says, stepping in between the two, pulling Toshiro away. "We don't need to have an argument over something so frivolous."

Toshiro is boiling with anger towards Temari, as he walks over to comfort Orihime, who looks sad.

"You don't worry about anything," Toshiro tells Orihime. "Ichigo told me I have to protect you here, and I will."

Orihime gives a slight smile, but looks on in wonder.

_"Is everyone planning to vote me out?" Orihime says. "Maybe not Toshiro, but I see people whispering around me like they don't want me to hear what they're saying."_

The tense atmosphere continues through the rest of the day, with Toshiro, Orihime, Sango and Kagome staying in the cabin, while Ed, Armstrong and Temari stay outside.

"We can't build up a wall between them and us," Ed says. "If they vote all together, no matter what we do, we're going to lose someone."

"Then we trick them," Temari replies.

"How can we do that?" Armstrong asks with doubt.

"It's like this," Temari says. "We bridge the gap between us and them, only separately. If we lose the challenge, you, Armstrong, should tell the white-haired hothead and that bad cooker that he and I are voting off Ed, then Ed tells the other two girls that he and I are voting off you. Then their votes cancel each other out, and we take out that girl with the bad cooking."

"Or… maybe we allow Orihime to embarrass herself further…" Ed states.

"How is that?" Armstrong asks.

"Let her cook tonight," Ed replies. "I'd gladly sacrifice a meal for a chance at getting all of them mad at Orihime."

"Good thinking," Temari says. "The question is, how will they stomach it?"

Jurai Tribe

Makoto is sweet-talking with Tenchi, Sasami sitting very near the two petting Ryo-ohki. Makoto begins to try to convince Tenchi that her vote for Sasami was a fluke.

"You and Sasami get along, and I know that," Makoto says, touching an embarrassed Tenchi's hand. "When I voted for Sasami last time, I was really voting for Ryo-ohki, not Sasami… I like you, Sasami."

Sasami looks over sadly. "You mean that Ryo-ohki got you angry at me?" she asks.

"No, no, I wasn't angry at you, Sasami," Makoto says. "I thought, and it was a mistake of mine, that I wanted to be rid of Ryo-ohki, because it was eating our food. I should have instead voted off Ash, but I wasn't thinking straight at the time."

Ami listens from the other room, rolling her eyes as she does, having a hard time believing what she is hearing.

"So you won't vote me off, Makoto?" Sasami asks.

"No, not at all," Makoto replies. "It's a game, and we try to find a way to win the game, but I want to help Tenchi, and Tenchi wants to help you, so I'll help you, Sasami."

"That sounds like a good plan, right, Sasami?" Tenchi says.

"Yay!" Sasami says, rushing over and glomping a surprised Makoto.

Even more surprised is Ami, listening from the other room, unable to believe that Makoto has just managed to weasel her way out of a situation and get Tenchi and Sasami happy with her.

_"Sometimes I wonder why I get stuck in these situations," Ami says. "Of all my friends, it's the flirting one who has to come with me, and now she's ready to desert me in this game over some guy she just met."_

Meanwhile, Asuka and Shinji are talking privately, deciding who they want to vote out.

"Shouldn't we take out that Tenchi?" Shinji suggests.

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka replies. "Why would we get rid of the strongest member of our tribe? We have to get rid of the weakest member of the tribe! And that's probably Sasami, thanks to her cabbit always getting into stuff."

"What about Brock?" Shinji asks.

"What about him?" Asuka asks.

"Isn't that who you wanted to vote out beforehand?" Shinji questions.

Asuka thinks about it. "I guess he has managed to make me mad at times," she says. "Okay, so he's in the discussion. It's either him or Sasami. One of those two is going home the next time we vote."

"But how?" Shinji asks. "We have only two votes between us."

"Good point," Asuka replies. "And I know exactly what to do about that."

Seireitei Tribe

"This is disgusting!"

Toshiro is tasting the terrible food that Orihime has made for dinner. Kagome and Sango are also having a hard time stomaching the food.

"We wanted to make up to Orihime for what happened earlier, so we let her cook for us tonight," Temari comments.

"Next time, why don't you choose a different way of making up?" Toshiro asks. "A way that doesn't involve cooking, perhaps?"

_"Our plan tonight worked to perfection," Temari says. "We wanted to make it look like we were trying to be nice to Orihime, and we wanted to get the other three angry at Orihime. Both missions are accomplished. Now all we have to do is get them to follow through at voting time."_

That night, everyone but Orihime is feeling sick from eating the strange concoction of food that she made. Toshiro rolls over in pain.

"I'm really glad I took out Sesshomaru," he comments. "Or else I'd have a hard time building up my spiritual pressure like this."

"Poor Orihime," Sango remarks. "She doesn't know her own cooking is so bad."

"I'll have to put it to her bluntly," Toshiro replies. "That will be the only way to take care of this."

"But what if she gets mad at you and then votes against us?" Kagome asks.

"You don't know Orihime," Toshiro says with a smile.

Toshiro decides to put that off until tomorrow, however, as he is too tired to talk to Orihime tonight. Instead, he and the girls decide to go to sleep.

Day 9

Seireitei Tribe

"You mean you don't like my cooking?" Orihime asks, in surprise.

It is early morning, and Toshiro is talking with Orihime about her newest cooking disaster. He begins to wonder why he put off this talk until now, at a more awkward time, but he nonchalantly continues.

"We told you this at the Tribal Council, remember?" Toshiro says.

"I didn't know you meant it," she replies.

Toshiro looks amazed. He doesn't know what to say now, with Orihime apparently this clueless.

"Uh, well, it's not an insult or anything," he says, stumbling for words. "But, um, we like Armstrong's choice of cooking better… much better… it's nothing against you, Orihime."

"Okay, Toshiro!" Orihime responds cheerfully. "Is that all?"

"Uh… yes," a surprised Toshiro says.

He then walks back to the cabin to meet with Kagome and Sango.

"What did she say?" Sango asks.

"She's fine with it," Toshiro answers. "As I thought she'd be."

"Wow, I'm pretty surprised," Kagome comments. "I guess Orihime doesn't feel too hurt about others' opinions."

"She'll be a good ally to keep around, that's for sure," Toshiro comments.

A few hours later, everyone is eating Armstrong's cooking, when they are interrupted by Jet Black.

"Hey, guys, just wanted to give you this note," he says.

Temari takes the note off Jet Black.

"Okay, I'll see you later at the immunity challenge!" he tells them, walking away.

"What does it say?" Ed asks.

"Another stupid poem," Temari replies.

"In order for immunity

To be in the bag,

Your team must go

And capture the flag."

"Does that host come up with those himself?" Sango asks.

"I sure hope not, that would be a real embarrassment," Kagome comments.

"Whatever it is, we're going to have to capture the flag, and I'll make sure that we'll do it for sure!" Armstrong says, flexing his muscles.

"Yeah, yeah," Toshiro replies, not impressed at all. "Give me some rice."

Jurai Tribe

Makoto has cooked the rice for the lunch for her team members. She is smiling, because Tenchi has been talking with her and is getting along great with her. Ami looks a little annoyed over the situation, but she decides not to say anything.

"This is great rice, isn't it, Tenchi?" Sasami comments.

"I'd say so, Sasami," Tenchi replies. "Thanks for cooking, Makoto!"

"You're welcome, Tenchi," Makoto says smoothly, unable to stop herself from blushing.

Asuka is talking to Shinji, Ami and Brock about the upcoming challenge.

"We'd better win this," she says. "We don't want to get behind by a member to that other tribe, because if we merge with them with fewer members, they could pick us off one by one. And I'm sure none of us want that to happen."

"Of course not," Brock replies. "We just have to put in all our effort and find a way to win this challenge."

"I wonder what this challenge will require," Ami states. "Hopefully some thinking will be involved."

"Oh, of course you'd want that, Wonder Girl," Asuka says, rolling her eyes.

The players are interrupted by Jet Black, who opens the front door and walks right into their house.

"I have some information about the upcoming immunity challenge," he tells them. "Here it is."

He hands Shinji a note.

"I'll see you guys all a little later!" he says, walking out the door.

The other players scramble to look at the note Shinji is holding, which he decides to read aloud:

"In order for immunity

To be in the bag,

Your team must go

And capture the flag."

"Capture the flag?" Brock asks.

"There shall be some thinking involved in this one," Ami says.

"Thinking? Maybe for you, Wonder Girl," Asuka replies. "Or maybe you don't even need to think, you're so good. But for the rest of us, it will be sheer physical skill that enables us to capture the flag and win for our team."

Ami sighs at Asuka's comments.

_"This girl is much too confident for her own girl," Ami says. "She is liable to get herself voted off sooner or later."_

Seireitei Tribe

It is now a few hours later, and the tribe is preparing to go to the immunity challenge.

_"This is a big one," Temari says. "Win this one, and we don't have to worry about who we're going to try to get rid of. Lose this one, and it's going to be a decision to either go after Orihime or try to split their alliance of four into two separate groups."_

"Are you ready for the challenge, Toshiro?" Orihime asks.

"Of course," Toshiro replies. "If I had to take out Sesshomaru again, I'd do it. This should be easier than fighting him."

"We've got to all work together," Kagome says. "That will be the only way we come out on top."

The tribe begins to walk towards the site of the immunity challenge.

Immunity Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet Black shouts.

Both tribes walk into the immunity challenge area and take their designated places.

"Okay, first, the immunity plushie, I need that back," Jet says.

Makoto hands Kon over to Jet.

"All right, let's get ready for the immunity challenge," Jet says. "Here's how it will work. Each team has their own flag, resting on a 3-foot flagpole on their end. The object of this game will be to take the flag off the opposing team. Sounds simple, right?"

The players nod their heads, giving the response Jet was hoping for.

"Well, it's not that easy," Jet laughs. "Every time a player crosses this middle line, he or she is able to be tagged by the opposing team. If you are tagged, you are out of the game!"

Some of the players raise their eyebrows on this idea. "Then why not just stay on your side the whole time?" Ed asks. "Then your flag can never be captured."

"True, true," Jet replies. "However, you won't have a choice. I'll be counting, and every 10 seconds, a player must cross the line, or else I'll randomly choose a player on your team to be thrown out of the game. This means that you'll have to be quick on your feet! Both sides must continually put their own players at risk, or else I'm going to throw players out of the game in order to make it go by quicker. If a team gets down to one player, that player cannot be thrown out of the game, and must be physically stopped from capturing the flag. The team who captures their opponent's flag wins the game and immunity!"

The players look pretty overwhelmed at all the rules.

"You'll understand this game soon enough," Jet says. "Now take your positions!"

Each team gets their team of seven players on their side of the court.

"For immunity!" Jet shouts. "Survivors ready, go!"

Armstrong stays back by his team's flag, making sure no one can get to it. By the same token, Brock decides to stand back by his team's flag.

"Go for it, someone!" Jet says to the players, who are standing on their own sides, refusing to make a move.

Orihime goes running through a small opening towards the Jurai side. She is chased by several players, who tag her.

"Orihime, you're out of the game!" Jet says. "And also, Asuka, you're out!"

"What?!" Asuka shouts. "But I was on my own side!"

"That's right, and so was the rest of your team, for too long," Jet explains. "So I've randomly chosen to throw you out of the game. Sorry!"

Asuka stomps off the court in a fury.

Meanwhile, Tenchi and Sasami both go running, on opposite sides, trying to reach the flag. The flag is in the far-left corner, from the perspective of the opposing team; Tenchi goes on the right side, the long way around, while Sasami goes right at the flag. But both are caught before reaching the other side; Tenchi by Temari, Sasami by Kagome.

"Tenchi and Sasami, you're both out!" Jet shouts. "And Ed, I'm throwing you out!"

"Are you kidding?" Ed asks.

"Nope," Jet says. "Your team failed to put someone across the line in 10 seconds, so I've randomly chosen you to be thrown out. Carry on!"

Temari quickly gathers her teammates together.

"We need a surge," she says. "All of us but Toshiro go on the left, and he goes on the right, and Armstrong of course stays back."

The Seireitei players put Temari's plan into motion, with Temari, Kagome and Sango all running right towards Brock and the flag. They slip through, getting to Brock. Brock tags Sango right before she grabs the flag. Meanwhile, Toshiro sprints out after the others, finding a way all the way around the opposing tribe and to the flag, slipping past the distracted Brock to grab it!

"Seireitei wins immunity!" Jet shouts.

The Seireitei members are jubilant. Toshiro is celebrating, holding the flag over his head. His teammates rush over to him and congratulate him. Meanwhile, Asuka shoots an angry glare towards Brock, and the stunned Jurai players walk away sadly.

"Here is the immunity plushie!" Jet says, handing Kon to Orihime. Orihime squeezes Kon tightly to her chest.

_Oh, my sweet Orihime!_ Kon thinks.

"Seireitei, you can celebrate your victory," Jet states. "Jurai, I'll be seeing you tonight for Tribal Council."

Both tribes leave the immunity challenge area and head back toward their camps.

Seireitei Tribe

The players seem to be very happy with each other after winning the challenge, with everyone getting along much more than usual.

"You really did a great job capturing that flag," Temari says to Toshiro.

"Thanks, although it was your strategy," Toshiro replies.

Orihime decides to use the victory for a chance at something more.

"Because we won, do you think I could cook everyone a meal?" she asks.

"NO!" everyone replies at once.

"Well, I'll just have to cook for myself, then," she says, leaving the others to groan about having to smell whatever horrible jumble of food she is about to cook.

Jurai Tribe

_"Well, we lost," Asuka says. "It would have been nice to get an advantage over the opposing team, but this gives us an opportunity to be rid of someone."_

Brock goes to Tenchi and Sasami and begins talking with them.

"I'm afraid that you may be a target, Sasami," Brock says.

"Really?" Sasami replies. "Makoto said she wouldn't vote me off. Is this true, Tenchi?"

"I don't know, Sasami," Tenchi replies.

"Well, I was thinking… maybe you should vote off Asuka," Brock suggests.

"We'll have to think about it," Tenchi replies.

Brock then goes into another room, finding Makoto and Ami in the room. He walks up to the standing Makoto and grabs her hand.

"Makoto, you and I could go together, to the final two, and win this competition," he says, with hearts in his eyes.

"Go away, creep!" Makoto snaps.

Before leaving the room, Brock says to Ami, "Please vote off the most annoying member."

"I'll make sure of it," Ami replies.

The tribe shortly thereafter heads to Tribal Council.

Tribal Council

The tribe members walk into Tribal Council, carrying their torches, all with fire. They then place them in an area to their left, and all sit down, facing Jet Black.

"Well, let's talk," Jet says. "You guys are back here for the second time. Why would you say that is, Asuka?"

"I'd say it's because Brock screwed up and failed to protect our flag," Asuka replies.

"Oh, but didn't you get thrown out of the game early?" Jet asks.

"Hey, I wasn't in charge of protecting the flag!" Asuka snaps.

"Okay, okay!" Jet says. "Now, you guys did win that reward. How are you enjoying it?"

"It's great having a roof over our heads," Ami responds.

"I really like the kitchen," Makoto answers.

"It's nice, but there need to be locks," Shinji says.

"Why is that?" Jet asks.

Asuka gives Shinji an angry stare.

"Oh, well, uh, ha ha ha," he says, blushing heavily.

Jet stares at Shinji funnily. "Okay," he says. "So, Tenchi, when you think of who to vote out, what reasons do you think of?"

"Uh, well, I don't really know," Tenchi says, putting his hand behind his head and laughing nervously.

"Boy, I can't seem to get answers out of you tonight," Jet says. "If you're not going to talk, then we might as well get right to it. It's time to vote. Ami, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Ami gets up from her seat.

Ami goes to vote.

Asuka goes to vote.

_"My vote goes to Brock," Asuka says. "You've been too annoying, and you wanted rid of me before."_

Brock goes to vote.

_"I'm voting off Asuka," Brock says. "I'm sick of being bossed around by you."_

Makoto goes to vote.

Sasami goes to vote.

Shinji goes to vote.

Tenchi goes to vote.

After Tenchi comes back from placing his vote, Jet announces, "I'll go tally the votes."

He walks over to the voting booth, looks at the votes, rearranges them, then places them back in the container. He then walks back over to his original position.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted off will be asked to jump into the Bone Eater's Well immediately," Jet says. "Our first vote tonight goes to Asuka."

Asuka shrugs her shoulders upon seeing her name on the piece of paper Jet is holding up.

"Our second vote," Jet states, "is for Brock."

Brock looks a little nervous hearing his name.

"Our third vote," Jet says. "Brock."

Brock becomes more nervous after this vote.

"Our fourth vote," Jet remarks, pulling it out. "Brock. That's three votes for Brock, one for Asuka."

Brock looks extremely nervous, now knowing that he is one vote away from being voted out.

"Third person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan," Jet announces, "Brock."

Brock sighs, then stands up. He walks over, grabs his torch, and holds it out in front of him.

"Brock," Jet tells him, "the tribe has spoken."

Jet snuffs out Brock's torch. "It's time for you to go," Jet adds.

Brock then walks over and hops in the Bone Eater's Well.

"Clearly this tribe was pretty united in who they wanted out," Jet remarks. "The question is, can you stay united? You can head back to camp."

The players grab their torches and walk back toward their house, the one Washu built for them.

_"I figured this was coming," Brock says. "I did what I could to try to get others to change their votes, but it was no use. I guess we Pokémon trainers didn't fit in. At any rate, I'm going to try to become the best Pokémon breeder I can!"_

(Who voted for whom:

Ami- Brock

Asuka- Brock

Brock- Asuka

Makoto- Brock

Sasami- Brock

Shinji- Brock

Tenchi- Brock)

Scenes from our next episode:

_Kagome gives away food to some wolves:_

"Thanks for the steaks!" Koga shouts to Kagome. "Well, let's go!"

--

_A team gets a big reward:_

The players have followed Jet Black and Roy Mustang all the way to their camp, where they see a gigantic mansion standing in the midst of many trees.

--

_And Asuka's rivalry with Rei comes into play:_

"Come over here, First Child!" Asuka screams. "I'll take you down!"


	4. Vacation: Days 10, 11, 12

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, screaming at Shinji

Shinji Ikari, blushing

Makoto Kino, flirting with Tenchi

Ami Mizuno, bragging to Asuka

Sasami, glomping Makoto

Tenchi Masaki, talking to Washu

Orihime Inoue, asking if she could cook

Toshiro Hitsugaya, fighting Sesshomaru

Sango, talking about InuYasha

Kagome Higurashi, hoping that Sesshomaru is all right

Alex Louis Armstrong, talking with Temari

Edward Elric, being thrown out of the immunity challenge

Temari, strategizing with Armstrong and Ed

--

_Vacation_

Day 10

Jurai Tribe

_"Things seem to be more relaxed with Brock gone," Ami says. "I can't place my finger on it, but for some reason, we have more peace here."_

Makoto, meanwhile, is sitting close to Tenchi, stroking her hand on his arm.

"Oh, Tenchi," she says lovingly, "I would love for us to be together… forever."

Tenchi laughs nervously, not knowing what to say.

"Yes, just you and me, Tenchi… think about it," Makoto continues, beginning to massage his shoulders.

"Ha ha ha ha, yeah," Tenchi says, continuing his nervous laughter, feeling confused.

Ami then walks into the room, seeing Makoto sweet-talking to Tenchi, and she rolls her eyes, quickly walking away.

"Don't worry about what others think of us," Makoto continues, "just think of how great our relationship could be…"

Asuka, meanwhile, is in another room with Shinji and Sasami, as they are playing with Ryo-ohki.

"We absolutely cannot lose again!" Asuka states. "I know I won't lose, but if we keep on having poor performances, I won't be able to keep us from losing! I'm glad we got rid of those two losers, because they were bringing down our tribe!"

She then looks over at the other two, who have been ignoring her while playing with Ryo-ohki.

"Listen to me!" she shouts, scaring Ryo-ohki and getting the attention of Shinji and Sasami.

"What did you say, Asuka?" Shinji asks.

Asuka begins to boil with anger. "Nothing, Shinji, nothing," she replies. "But if we lose another challenge, it won't be my fault!"

She walks out of the room in a huff. Shinji and Sasami then go right back to playing with Ryo-ohki.

Asuka walks downstairs, finding Ami sitting on a couch, watching the television.

"What are you watching?" she asks Ami.

"I'm not sure," Ami replies. "I don't watch the television much, but with no books around here, I have no choice."

"This is a strange show," Asuka says. "Why is that guy always smoking?"

"I'm not sure," Ami replies. "All I can say is, that violet-haired girl needs to wear some more clothing."

"Hey, that guy looks familiar!" Asuka exclaims. "He reminds me of-"

The television is turned off. Asuka and Ami look over to see Jet Black standing with the remote control in his hands.

"So, how have things been for the Jurai tribe since last night?" he asks.

"Pretty peaceful, I'd say," Ami answers.

"Yeah, yeah, same as always," Asuka says.

"That bad, huh?" Jet says. "Well, if things aren't going your way, I've got a little treat for you."

"Treat?" Asuka asks. "What kind of treat?"

"If you want to get away, that kind of treat," Jet replies. "I guess I'll see you later for the reward challenge!"

Jet tosses Asuka the remote, then walks out the door.

"I'll never understand that guy," Ami comments.

Seireitei Tribe

The tribe is awakened early in the morning again, this time by a lot of barking. Toshiro runs outside to see what all the commotion is.

"Settle down, settle down," the leader of the pack is saying.

"What the heck is going on out here?" Toshiro yells.

"Oh, sorry," the leader of the pack says. "My name's Koga."

He goes to shake Toshiro's hand, before seeing Kagome stepping out of the cabin. He then rushes over to her and takes her hand.

"Kagome," he says. "I really want you to be my woman."

Toshiro looks at Koga's henchmen, Ginta and Hakkaku. "What exactly is this all about?" he asks.

"Oh, well, Koga really likes Kagome," Ginta says.

"Not that!" Toshiro exclaims. "Why are you and all these wolves here?"

"We got off course," Hakkaku replies. "We meant to be following a certain trail, and I guess Koga's nose led him astray."

"His nose?!" Toshiro shouts.

"Yes, his sense of direction comes from his sense of smell," Ginta says. "So he must have smelled something coming from your camp, and-"

The three look over to see Kagome handing some food to Koga.

"What are you giving him our food for?" Toshiro asks.

"They're hungry," Kagome responds.

"Thanks for the steaks!" Koga shouts to Kagome. "Well, let's go!"

He takes off in a hurry, leaving Ginta and Hakkaku behind.

"Wait for us, Koga!" Hakkaku yells, as they and the wolves desperately try to catch up to Koga.

Toshiro walks over to Kagome angrily. "Why did you give him our steaks?" he asks her.

"I didn't give him all of them… just… most of them," she replies nervously.

"Most of them?!" Toshiro shouts. "Why?!"

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to stop Koga from continuing to flirt with me," she answers. "I figured that would get him to go."

Toshiro sighs. "Well, there goes a whole lot of our food!" he says angrily.

Some of the other players come out of the cabin to see what the commotion is about. "What happened?" Armstrong asks.

"Uh, nothing," Kagome says, with an embarrassed smile on her face.

"You might as well just tell them," Toshiro tells Kagome. "They're going to find out sooner or later."

"Okay!" Kagome replies. "I gave away most of our steaks to a pack of wolves."

"You did what?!" Ed screams.

"I'm sorry, it was the only way to get rid of them," Kagome responds.

"I'm sure there was another way," Temari says.

"I'm really sorry," Kagome says, walking away from the other tribe members, with tears in her eyes.

"Come on!" Sango yells at the rest of the tribe, save for Orihime. "You're making her cry!"

Sango goes over to comfort Kagome, while Orihime comes out of the cabin, having just awakened. "Hi, everybody!" she says, absolutely clueless to what has transpired.

The other tribe members nearly fall over after this response from Orihime. As they look at her in shock, they are joined by Roy Mustang.

"What are you doing here?" Ed demands.

"I should say the same to you, taking time off from the military," Roy responds.

"I hope things haven't gone out of control without my leadership," Armstrong says.

"Don't worry, everything's fine," Roy replies. "I just want to let you know that there is a reward challenge upcoming that you may enjoy."

"How so?" Ed asks.

"Well, you're already taking one vacation… that's all I can tell you," Roy responds. "I'll be seeing you there in a few hours."

Roy walks away, leaving the others to begin discussing what this challenge could be.

"He didn't give us any information on it, really," Toshiro says.

"Does it have to do with taking a vacation?" Ed asks. "Or is he just trying to insult me?"

"I guess we'll find out in a few hours," Temari says.

Jurai Tribe

Things are getting a little out of hand as Shinji and Sasami chase Ryo-ohki through the house.

"Please be careful," Ami says as they run by. "You don't want to break-"

Shinji knocks over a lamp, sending it crashing to the ground.

"Now look what you did, stupid Shinji!" Asuka yells at him.

"I'm sorry," Shinji says, trying to pick up the pieces to it.

"Let me take care of it," Ami states, collecting the pieces of the broken lamp and tossing them into a nearby garbage can.

Sasami catches Ryo-ohki and carries her over to where Shinji shattered the lamp.

"We're sorry, we won't chase Ryo-ohki anymore," she says.

_"That cabbit is always causing problems," Ami says. "It might be just about time to get rid of it."_

Makoto and Tenchi, meanwhile, are in another room, with Makoto constantly flirting with him, and the ever-indecisive Tenchi refusing to either back away or accept her affection.

"You know, Tenchi, I really trust you," Makoto says, sitting next to him on the couch in the room. "I could tell you just about any secret of mine… want to hear one?"

"Um… I guess… sure," Tenchi responds nervously.

"Okay, here it is," Makoto says. "The truth is, Ami and I are actually-"

Makoto is interrupted by Ami walking into the room and giving her a cold stare.

"Um, we're actually- students," Makoto finishes her statement. "We go to school."

"Oh…" Tenchi says, in confusion. "That's… interesting."

"And that's all there is to tell, isn't there?" Ami asks Makoto.

"Right, right," Makoto responds. "That's it."

After an afternoon of awkwardness all around the house, the tribe members are relieved to get away, as they head toward the reward challenge.

Reward Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet shouts to the players, who slowly walk in towards the reward challenge area, seeing him and Roy Mustang standing there, with two piles of wood and a bunch of buckets near a nearby stream.

"Seireitei, this is your first look at the new Jurai tribe," Jet tells the Seireitei tribe members. "Brock, voted off last night."

The Seireitei players give no real reaction to hearing of Brock's fate.

"Now to tell you about today's reward challenge," Roy says. "I am the Flame Alchemist, and I am going to set these two piles of wood on fire, one for Jurai, one for Seireitei. Your team's goal is to put out your team's fire before your opponents do. You will line up and run one at a time to a bucket, fill it up with water, then toss it over the fire, trying to put it out. Only one player can be fighting the fire at a time."

"That's right," Jet adds. "Want to know what you're playing for?"

The players collectively nod their heads.

"Your entire tribe will have a vacation, so to speak," Jet says. "For the rest of the day and overnight, your tribe will get to come to our special camp, where we will have lots of food, separate rooms for you to sleep in, showers, and a swimming pool. Worth playing for?"

"Yeah!" many of the players shout.

"All right," Jet replies. "Seireitei, you must sit out one player. The same player cannot sit out back-to-back challenges. Who's it going to be?"

The Seireitei players talk amongst themselves, then reach an agreement.

"I'll sit out," Kagome says.

"Okay, Kagome is sitting out this challenge," Jet announces. "Now light the fires, Roy!"

Roy snaps his fingers, lighting the Jurai fire, then does so again, lighting the Seireitei fire.

"Survivors ready, go!" Jet shouts.

Toshiro and Tenchi run simultaneously towards the buckets, each grabbing one, filling it up with water, then tossing the water on the fire, with the fire reacting little to the water. They run back to their tribes, sending off the next members of their tribes, Temari and Asuka.

Temari is a little faster than Asuka, and she gets the water quicker than her, tossing the water on the fire before Asuka can. This gives Ed a head start on Shinji. They both toss the water on the fire, then run back to their next teammates, Sango and Sasami respectively.

Sango by this time has quite a lead on Sasami, and when she tosses the water on the fire, it begins to die down some, getting her tribe members excited. Sasami also gets her team's fire to die down more, but Armstrong is out to the buckets before she can get back to her tribe.

Armstrong tosses the water on his team's fire, with it now getting pretty weak. He runs back to Orihime, as Makoto grabs a bucket. Orihime then runs out, but as she goes to get some water, she slips and falls, allowing Jurai to catch up.

Ami runs out and grabs a bucket, as Orihime struggles to get up. Orihime then falls over again, spilling out the bucket. As her opponents look on helplessly, she has to go back and get more water, while Ami tosses the water on her team's fire, almost knocking it totally out.

"Come on Orihime!" Kagome calls.

But Orihime slips one more time, as Tenchi is able to get a bucket and toss it on the fire, completely extinguishing it.

"Jurai wins reward!" Jet shouts.

The Jurai players begin to celebrate, while the Seireitei players look on, with a mixture of anger and helplessness.

Seireitei Tribe

_"We lost the challenge today, and it's all because of Orihime," Temari says. "There's no doubt in my mind that we win that challenge if we don't have her screwing things up."_

The tribe members are walking back in towards their camp, all silent at the moment, with Orihime feeling the worst about what happened. Toshiro walks inside the cabin, followed by Kagome and Sango. Armstrong and Ed follow Temari to a place under some trees where they like to sit and talk. Orihime, meanwhile, walks off on her own, with no one talking to her.

_"I know I messed up today, and I'm really sorry," Orihime says. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for this game."_

Toshiro is talking to Sango and Kagome about their strategies for any upcoming votes.

"I can't vote off Orihime," Toshiro tells them. "Ichigo would be furious at me if I did."

"But she did cost us victory today," Sango replies. "You have to admit that."

"I will admit that," Toshiro says. "But we're going to need Orihime to join with our alliance to vote out one of those other three."

Kagome looks confused. "I don't understand," she says. "Why do we need to vote out one of the other three people? Why can't we vote out Orihime, besides what your friend says?"

"Because," Toshiro answers, "if we vote her out, those other three will team up to vote one of us out. It will be three-on-three, and one of us could end up going, all depending on who Orihime would vote for."

"But what if they try to vote out one of us three?" Sango asks. "Then wouldn't voting out Orihime make sense?"

"Not if Orihime joins forces with them," Toshiro says. "We've got to get her on our side. If not, we'll be eliminated."

Jurai Tribe

The Jurai players have followed Jet Black and Roy Mustang all the way to their camp, where they see a gigantic mansion standing in the midst of many trees. Like their own house, it is totally out of place in this world, yet there it stands, thanks to the scientific work of Washu.

"This is our camp," Jet tells them. "As you can see, we spare no expense in making it the best it can be."

The players look amazed as they walk inside, seeing an indoor swimming pool, as well as a fancy dining room, and their own luxurious rooms. They walk by Washu's room, where she is busy on another experiment. They then pass Soi Fon, who looks as angry as ever.

"Are you four the only ones here, or are there more?" Tenchi wonders.

"That is to remain a secret," Jet replies.

He then leads the tribe members to their rooms, where each of them goes to relax for a while.

"I will go help prepare the food," Roy tells Jet, leaving for the kitchen.

A few hours later, the players come out from their rooms, after taking naps. They are led by Jet Black to the large dining room, where they each are served high-class meals. After they eat, Asuka, Makoto, and Ami all head for the swimming pool.

"Are you coming, Tenchi?" Makoto asks Tenchi.

"I don't know, Makoto," the ever-indecisive Tenchi replies.

Shinji begins to walk towards the swimming pool area as well, leading to an angry reaction from Asuka.

"What, are you coming too?" Asuka asks. "I know the only reason why you're coming. You're such a pervert! You stay away from me, Shinji!"

Without saying a word, Shinji turns and begins to walk back towards his room. Sasami follows him down the hall. Looking back and forth between Sasami and Makoto, Tenchi finally decides to go with Sasami.

"Aww… Tenchi's not coming," Makoto says.

"Sorry, Makoto, I'll see you later," Tenchi replies.

The three girls each are given swimsuits which they wear into the swimming pool, where they relax. Meanwhile, Tenchi and Sasami join Shinji in his room.

"I really hate to do this, but…" Shinji says.

"But what?" a curious Sasami replies.

"I've got to ask you to vote out Asuka," Shinji continues.

"Asuka? But isn't she your friend?" Tenchi asks.

"Yes, she is, a very close one too," Shinji replies. "But she's only using me for her own good. I'm nothing but an object to her during this game. She wants me around only for my vote. I feel like I have to support her, because I always have, but…" He shakes his head, then says in a loud voice, "I'm making my own choices now!"

Tenchi and Sasami look surprised at Shinji's sudden outburst. "So, you want to make an alliance with us?" Tenchi asks.

"Yes," Shinji says. "I'm going to play this game for myself from now on. I'm not just here for Asuka! I'm here to play for myself!"

Sasami smiles at Shinji. "I like your spirit," she says. "Want to play with Ryo-ohki?"

"Sure!" Shinji responds happily, as the two begin chasing Ryo-ohki around the mansion.

_"I don't know what to think about this," Tenchi says. "I know Makoto wants my vote, but now Shinji also wants me to vote out Asuka. And what if Sasami wants me to vote for someone else? I can't make up my mind!"_

Meanwhile, Asuka, Makoto and Ami are in the pool, talking about their own strategy.

"The one who's got to go is the girl with the cabbit," Asuka remarks. "That thing is too annoying. It's caused us a lot of trouble!"

"I agree," Ami says. "That thing is stopping us from having peace around the house."

Makoto looks upset, however. "I agreed with Tenchi to keep Sasami around," she comments. "I can't go back on that promise."

"Why not?" Asuka asks. "It's not like you're voting him off."

"Plus, you wouldn't have to compete with Sasami for Tenchi's attention," Ami adds. "You'd have him all to yourself."

That thought brightens Makoto's mood. "Okay," she says. "I'll go along with you."

"Now all we'll need is that stupid Shinji's vote, and that won't be hard to get," Asuka comments.

_"This may be the only way to get Makoto to make a sensible move, by baiting her with the attention of Tenchi," Ami says. "Hopefully she does go along with our vote, or otherwise I could be in some trouble."_

That night, Asuka goes to talk to Shinji alone.

"Okay, Shinji," she says. "We know who we're voting for- that blue-haired girl with the annoying cabbit."

"But I like that cabbit," Shinji protests.

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka replies. "That thing's been eating our food and causing trouble ever since this competition began. We have to get rid of it. You know your future in this game depends on me, so don't fight me on this."

Shinji sighs, but feels a bit of relief in remembering the alliance he made with Sasami and Tenchi.

"Good night, Asuka," he says to her, as she leaves the room.

_"How dense can he be?" Asuka says. "That boy doesn't realize that I'm the only reason why he's made it this far. He better not cross me or else he's going to be the next one voted out."_

Each of the Jurai members goes to sleep in their own room, enjoying the luxurious comfort of this mansion.

Day 11

Seireitei Tribe

It is business as usual over at the Seireitei tribe this morning, where Armstrong is cooking the rice and boiling the water for the rest of the players. There still seems to be a divide between the members of the tribe, with Armstrong, Ed and Temari sitting on one side of the camp, and Toshiro, Orihime, Kagome and Sango on the other.

"Hey, Toshiro!" Orihime says. "Why are you so glum?"

Toshiro gives Orihime a sigh. "I'm just bored, that's all. I hate to say it, but I miss the challenge that Sesshomaru brought."

_"This scares me," Toshiro says. "I'm feeling thirsty for battle, sort of like Captain Zaraki… I hope this game isn't driving me insane!"_

Kagome and Sango are having a laugh at Toshiro's expense. "What is it?" he asks angrily. "What is so funny?"

They continue laughing at him, making him angrier. "Just tell me already!" he shouts.

"It's your hair," Sango says. "You seem to have a few flies living in it."

"What?!" Toshiro screams, slapping his hand over his head frantically. "How is that possible?"

Toshiro is able to get rid of the flies, which had actually only landed in his hair momentarily, but he looks frustrated at Orihime, Sango and Kagome, all of which are still laughing.

"Sorry, Toshiro," Orihime says. "It must be because of your white hair."

"What, now you're insulting my white hair?" Toshiro says. He then crosses his arms and pouts, causing the three girls to laugh harder at him.

Meanwhile, Armstrong, Ed and Temari watch from a distance, seeing the way the tribe has been separated, and in a way particularly unfavorable to them.

_"Our tribe has been divided, and we're on the short end of the stick," Ed says. "It's going to take some great maneuvering in order to get us back on top."_

"We seem to be outnumbered," Armstrong says to the other two.

"Yes, but that could soon change," Temari says. "I think it's just about time to put our plan into action: we must split them into two halves."

"When, though?" Ed asks.

"Tonight," Temari replies. "That's when we'll get this tribe split yet another way, and it will leave us on top."

Jurai Tribe

"Out, out, out!"

Roy Mustang is in the process of forcing the Jurai players to leave the mansion, but they are taking their time in making their way out.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Roy asks Jet Black, as Asuka slowly leaves her room.

"Hey, they earned it," Jet replies, as they finally get the six players on their way out of the mansion.

Jet directs the players toward their own camp, and they begin on their way, walking the long distance back to the house Washu made for them.

"Well, that was a nice treat," Ami says.

"It wasn't enough! We didn't get to stay there nearly long enough!" Asuka complains. "Now we have to go back to the house that has no locks and no swimming pool! It's so unfair!"

"It could be worse," Tenchi comments. "We could have no house at all."

Ryo-ohki suddenly jumps out of Sasami's arms and begins running.

"Wait, Ryo-ohki!" Sasami yells, as she begins to chase Ryo-ohki.

The other tribe members then begin running after Sasami, who continues to chase Ryo-ohki. They run for a while, finally catching up to Ryo-ohki, who has found a carrot to eat.

"Ryo-ohki, you can't run away like that," Sasami scolds Ryo-ohki.

"Meow," Ryo-ohki replies happily, eating the carrot.

"Great," Asuka says, looking around at their surroundings. "That stupid cabbit has gotten us lost."

"I think I can find our way back," Ami replies.

"Oh, of course, Wonder Girl here thinks she can lead us, doesn't she?" Asuka says.

Ami remains silent and leads the tribe back towards the house Washu built for them.

_"Why does Asuka always call me that?" Ami says. "I don't understand why she thinks I'm the arrogant one."_

The tribe members finally arrive back at their house, where more of the same occurs: Makoto flirting with Tenchi, Sasami and Shinji playing with Ryo-ohki, and Asuka complaining to Ami.

"Why are those two playing with that cabbit nonstop?" Asuka asks Ami. "And why is your friend constantly flirting? And why are you just sitting there watching television? Don't you have anything else better to do?"

As Asuka asks these questions, Ami's face begins turning redder and redder. After a while, she can't take it anymore.

"That's it!" she screams. "You go bother someone else for a while!"

Ami runs upstairs to her room, leaving Asuka stunned.

"Well, at least I have the television now," she remarks.

Seireitei Tribe

That night, Kagome and Sango are sitting together by the fire, talking to each other about InuYasha and Miroku. They are enjoying themselves, when they are approached by Edward Elric.

"We need to talk," Ed says to them.

Kagome and Sango look at each other nervously. "What is it about?" Kagome asks.

"Don't worry, I just need to have you in my corner," Ed says. "Temari tells me that we're voting out Armstrong."

"But why?" Sango asks. "He's a good cook. He does a lot for us."

"This game isn't all about that," Ed replies. "It's sometimes about removing the biggest threat. And remember seeing him in that pain challenge? He's strong enough to withstand any amount of pain. He could win immunity many times in a row."

"Very true," Kagome says. "But are you sure we can't remove Temari from the game?"

"It probably wouldn't work," Ed replies. "If I go against her, she'll get everyone else here to vote out one of us."

"Oh, okay," Kagome replies. "Then I guess we'll vote out Armstrong."

"Thank you," Ed says, before walking away.

Kagome and Sango look at each other again, a little confused about Ed's idea.

"Why must we get rid of Armstrong?" Kagome asks.

"I don't understand," Sango replies. "But I guess we're going to have to tell Toshiro about this."

Meanwhile, Armstrong has found Toshiro and Orihime inside the cabin and is talking with them.

"We are voting out Ed tomorrow night," he tells them.

"Why Ed?" Toshiro asks. "He's been quite helpful to us with his skills."

"It's not my choice," Armstrong replies. "It's Temari's."

"Temari?" Toshiro asks. "Why do we have to listen to her?"

"I trust her," Armstrong responds. "She seems to know what she's doing around here. Besides, are you going to argue with these muscles?"

Toshiro sighs. "I guess," he says. "You agree with this, Orihime?"

"Sure, Toshiro!" Orihime says cheerfully.

"Thank you very much," Armstrong replies, leaving the cabin.

_"So that was very strange," Toshiro says. "Armstrong comes here and says he's voting against his friend Ed. I don't understand his logic… something's going on here, and I'm going to find out what."_

Armstrong and Ed report back to Temari later that night and tell her what they did, and how the others agreed to their voting strategy.

"Good," she says with a smirk. "Everything is going according to plan."

Day 12

Seireitei Tribe

Late in the morning, Armstrong is cooking the food for the tribe, as always, while the rest of the tribe is acting a lot more friendly towards each other than in the past, given the fact that every single member of the tribe thinks he or she has an alliance with Temari.

"So, Temari, how are you feeling this morning?" Orihime asks.

"Fine, I guess," Temari answers.

"How's the food?" Armstrong asks.

"It's good," Temari responds.

"You know, you're always welcome inside the cabin," Kagome tells her.

"Thanks," Temari replies.

_"What is it?" Temari says. "I make fake alliances with everyone in the tribe, and somehow they all now think I'm special. Maybe I am even smarter than I thought!"_

As Toshiro eats some rice, he starts to wonder what the challenge may be this time.

"The next challenge is going to have to be pretty difficult… but what could they possibly have us do?" he wonders

"It can't be harder than that one painful challenge that Armstrong won," Ed remarks.

"Oh, it's possible," another voice says.

The tribe members turn around to see Jet Black standing there.

"How did you sneak up on us like that?" Toshiro asks.

"That's not important," Jet replies. "What's important for you is that you win immunity and stay ahead of the other tribe… you know it will help you later. This note will tell you all about the next challenge."

He hands the note to Sango.

"I'll see you for the immunity challenge later!" he tells them, walking away.

"So, what does it say?" Kagome asks Sango.

"This is it," she says.

"This challenge will require your tribe

To lay it all out and not be mild,

As in order to remain immune,

You must face and defeat the First Child."

"The First Child?" Temari asks. "Who could that possibly be?"

"Beating up on children sounds cruel," Orihime says.

"I'm sure there must be some sort of mistake," Kagome comments. "Because we wouldn't possibly be fighting a child."

"Who knows," Toshiro remarks. "Soi Fon could have killed one of us with her attack. If they're willing to bring her out here, then who knows what they have up their sleeve."

The other players are wondering what this immunity challenge could possibly be, as they continue to eat their meal.

Jurai Tribe

Sasami chases Ryo-ohki through the house, finally coming to a stop when Ryo-ohki jumps aboard Tenchi's lap, interrupting yet another bit of flirting by Makoto.

"Come here, Ryo-ohki," Sasami says to Ryo-ohki.

"Why don't you play with that thing in another room?" Makoto says to Sasami.

"I'm sorry, Makoto," Sasami tells her, picking up Ryo-ohki and leaving the room.

"Wouldn't it be better if it were just you and me?" Makoto asks Tenchi.

"Uh, well, I sort of want to take care of Sasami," the indecisive Tenchi answers. "We're kind of close… I don't think that would be too good."

"Oh, come on, Tenchi," Makoto says.

"I'm sorry, Makoto, but we already talked this out," Tenchi replies, finally showing some sort of a backbone. "I'm staying with Sasami as long as I can."

_"Hmph!" Makoto says. "Tenchi doesn't want to vote out Sasami… what if I just do it for him?"_

Makoto and Tenchi are interrupted by Ami.

"We have mail," she tells them.

They walk into the other room with Ami, where Shinji, Sasami and Asuka all are standing, wanting to see the piece of mail Ami received.

"It's about our immunity challenge," Ami says.

"This challenge will require your tribe

To lay it all out and not be mild,

As in order to remain immune,

You must face and defeat the First Child."

"The First Child?!" Asuka screams. "Ayanami? Oh, I can't wait to beat her! I've never been allowed to go all out and show her what I think of her… just you wait and see what happens this time! I'm going to beat her for sure!"

"What is this all about?" Tenchi asks.

"The First Child is Rei Ayanami," Shinji explains. "We must defeat her in order to win immunity… but I don't really want to fight her."

"Why not, Shinji?" Asuka asks. "She thinks she's so much better than both of us. She's special because she's the First Child, right? Well, we'll see how special she is when I embarrass her in front of everyone!"

"Rei?" Ami asks. "This isn't the same Rei that Makoto and I know, right? What does she look like?"

"Why, she looks like you!" Asuka snaps. "She acts like you, too, all quiet and pompous. She has that silent arrogance about her. I can't believe Shinji likes her so much!"

"Huh?" Shinji says, confused.

"Oh, you know you like her, Shinji," Asuka says. "Come on, just admit it."

"But I-" Shinji says.

"You know it!" Asuka snaps.

"All right, all right, that's enough, everyone," Tenchi says. "Let's calm down and get prepared for our challenge."

"I'll make the rice," Makoto says, running off to the kitchen.

About a half-hour later, the tribe members are all eating rice, with Asuka seeming to be extremely excited.

"Oh, I can't wait!" she says to Shinji. "You better not get in my way, Shinji. This is between her and me!"

"Now wait a minute here, this is a team challenge!" Ami exclaims. "We have to work together!"

"Oh, just like Ayanami, having to be the hero," Asuka complains. "Look, Wonder Girl 2, you're going to sit aside while I take care of business in this match. This is more than just an immunity challenge; it's a personal quarrel."

Ami rolls her eyes at Asuka, who is completely set on taking down Rei Ayanami, no matter what the cost.

Seireitei Tribe

It is later in the day, and the Seireitei players are eating their second meal, hoping to be prepared for the challenge, of which they still have no idea what it could be.

"I really hope this has nothing to do with an actual child," Kagome says.

"We can only hope so," Sango comments.

"Don't worry, everyone! I'm sure it's going to be fine!" Orihime tells the others cheerfully.

"I only wish I had your optimism," Temari says.

_"This challenge sounds bad, but I have a feeling that it is not as bad as it seems," Ed says. "I think the others are just too nervous."_

The players leave their camp shortly later and head off to the immunity challenge.

Immunity Challenge

Both teams arrive at the immunity challenge, seeing Jet Black standing next to Rei Ayanami, in her Eva suit, as well as Eva Unit 00 standing nearby.

"Welcome to today's immunity challenge," he tells them. "First, I need back the immunity plushie."

Orihime hands Kon back to Jet Black.

"Okay, immunity is back up for grabs," Jet says. "In this challenge both teams will attempt to bring down Eva Unit 00, piloted by Rei Ayanami, my assistant. At the same time Ayanami will be attempting to push your team across the lines marked here, as your teams will be standing in these boxes. If a player is pushed past the lines, in any way, he or she is out of the game. The team that has all its players pushed past the lines first loses, and the other team wins immunity. Does everyone understand?"

"Wait, what if we defeat Ayanami?" Asuka asks.

Jet laughs. "I don't think that's possible," he replies. "Her, piloting an Eva, against you, not in an Eva? You have no chance."

"What?" Asuka shouts. "You mean we don't get to pilot our own Evas?"

"That's right," Jet responds. "You're on your own. By all means attempt to attack Ayanami. I'll have fun watching you try. Anyway, Seireitei, you must sit someone out, and you cannot sit out the same player in back-to-back challenges. Who will it be?"

"I'll sit out, due to my size," Armstrong says.

"Okay," Jet replies. "You may enter the Eva unit, Rei."

Rei silently gets into the Eva unit, while the players walk inside the boxes outlined by painted lines, about 25 feet in each direction. Shinji begins to panic, knowing Rei's power, afraid that she is about to kill them all.

"We can't do this challenge!" he screams. "Do you realize how dangerous this is?"

"Yes," Jet says with a laugh. "For immunity! Survivors ready?"

"No!" Shinji yells.

"Too bad," Jet replies. "Go!"

Rei charges at the players, who run frantically around the box, trying to escape her. She first charges over at Seireitei, causing Kagome, Sango, Ed, Temari and Orihime all to run out of the box in panic. Only Toshiro remains in the box for Seireitei. But upon seeing Asuka taunting her, she heads straight for Jurai.

"Come over here, First Child!" Asuka screams. "I'll take you down!"

"You craven fool!" Ami snaps. "You're going to have us killed!"

"Oh, so you have some emotion, unlike Ayanami," Asuka says, turning to Ami, not even noticing Eva Unit 00 charging at them full-force. "I don't know if that makes me hate you less or more."

"Run!" Ami screams.

Asuka is kicked by Eva Unit 00, sent flying into a nearby tree, while all players besides Sasami run out of the box in panic. The only reason Sasami hasn't run out of the box is because she dropped Ryo-ohki, and is trying to pick her up.

"Sorry, Ryo-ohki," Sasami says.

Suddenly, Rei starts experiencing problems with her Eva unit. She trips and crashes to the ground, sending everyone on the ground flying save for Jet Black and Armstrong. Toshiro comes landing down outside of the box, but the small Sasami ends up landing inside the box.

"Jurai wins immunity!" Jet shouts.

The Jurai players are in too much fear to celebrate. Tenchi quickly rushes over and scoops up Ryo-ohki, then joins his teammates running back towards their camp. Asuka is the only one who remains, sitting in a tree, injured.

"Soryu, you've won immunity! Go back to camp!" Jet yells.

"That's Asuka Langley Soryu to you!" Asuka screams back.

She uses her remaining strength to slowly climb out of the tree, whereupon Jet tosses Kon to her.

"Here's the immunity plushie," he says.

"Thank you," she replies, squeezing Kon tightly across her chest.

_Oh, Asuka! _Kon thinks.

She then limps off back towards her camp, trailing far behind her teammates.

"As for you, Seireitei, you'll be seeing me back here tonight for Tribal Council," Jet tells the shaken Seireitei players, who begin their trek back to camp before Jet is finished with his statement.

Jurai Tribe

"We won! We won!" Sasami exclaims to her teammates, back at the house.

"Won what? A stupid lion doll? And for the price of being humiliated by Ayanami? It wasn't worth it," Asuka complains.

"Hey, that's not nice!" Kon shouts.

"How would you like to be embarrassed by Rei Ayanami?" Asuka screams at Kon. "You're so stupid!"

She runs out of the room, trying to hold back tears. Shinji sighs, while the others look confused.

"Who knows what that is about," Makoto says.

"Maybe she was traumatized," Ami suggests.

"Let's at least be happy we won immunity," Tenchi comments.

Makoto then makes her team some more rice in celebration- although they have very little left.

Seireitei Tribe

The tribe members are in a bit of disarray after the terrible loss. Ed is screaming about what he feels is the unfairness of the challenge.

"That challenge came down to whoever that girl decided to run towards first!" he yells. "She ran towards us first, and knocked almost all of us out right away! That wasn't fair!"

"Yeah, it wasn't," Temari replies. "But what can we do? That's the way the challenge went."

"Perhaps I should not have sat out," Armstrong says. "I thought my size would be a bad thing, and it turned out not to be the case."

A little later, Toshiro goes over to talk to Kagome and Sango.

"So, who are we voting out tonight?" he asks them.

"Armstrong," they say in unison.

"Hold on, hold on, I heard from Armstrong that Temari and he are voting out Ed, and I'm supposed to join them," he responds.

"Well, Ed told us that Temari and he are voting out Armstrong, and that we should join them," Kagome replies.

Toshiro raises an eyebrow. "Something's fishy here," he says. "Someone's not telling the truth. The question is, who?"

Tribal Council

The players come in, torches ablaze, to Tribal Council, setting down their torches and taking their seats.

"This is your second trip here," Jet says. "The first time, it was because of the failure of one of the members who competed in the challenge. This time, it was because a certain member didn't compete in the challenge. It was a poor decision, wasn't it, Armstrong?"

"In hindsight, yes," Armstrong replies. "But I may have been forced out of the box early on anyway, so it may not have mattered anyway."

"Very true," Jet says. "Now, this team has lost four of the last five challenges, including both of the last two reward challenges. Temari, how does that affect the morale of the team?"

"It's tough," Temari responds. "But you just have to keep going and try to win the next one. One thing we can't have is players giving away food."

"Oh? And who would that be?" Jet asks, loving the conflict.

"That's Kagome," Ed answers. "She gave away our steaks that Armstrong won for us, to some wolves."

"Is this true, Kagome?" Jet questions her.

"Yes," an embarrassed Kagome replies. "But I know these wolves, and in particular the main one, Koga, wouldn't go away unless I gave him something. So I gave him our steaks."

"Interesting," Jet says. "Against the wishes of your team, you do something that benefits… only you?"

"It didn't just benefit me," Kagome says. "It helped all of us, by not allowing Koga the opportunity to get into a fight with anyone here."

"But you know I could have defeated Koga easily," Toshiro replies.

"Yes, I know, but I didn't want Koga to get into a fight with you," Kagome says. "I didn't want him to get hurt."

"Oh?" Jet says. "So you like this wolf?"

"Well, sort of… not really, but kind of… maybe," Kagome replies.

"It seems that this tribe has some various problems, or perhaps one in particular," Jet says. "There's only one way to solve those problems, and that's by voting. Armstrong, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Armstrong gets up from his seat.

Armstrong goes to vote.

_"My vote goes to Kagome," Armstrong says. "After giving away our steaks like that, it's time for her to go."_

Ed goes to vote.

Kagome goes to vote.

_"I'm voting for Armstrong," Kagome says. "Sorry, but that's the way alliances work. You've done a lot for us, though."_

Orihime goes to vote.

Sango goes to vote.

Temari goes to vote.

Toshiro goes to vote.

After Toshiro comes back from voting, Jet says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet goes to the voting booth and rearranges the votes, then returns to the players. "After the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," he explains. "The first vote goes to… Armstrong."

Armstrong does not look surprised at seeing his name.

"The second vote… Kagome," Jet says.

Kagome wrinkles her nose, a little worried.

"The third vote… Kagome," Jet says.

Kagome begins to get really nervous at this point.

"Armstrong," Jet says. "That's two votes Kagome, two votes Armstrong."

Armstrong still does not look surprised, but he feels a little nervous.

"Kagome," Jet says, pulling out the next vote. "That's three votes Kagome, two votes Armstrong."

He pulls out the next vote, with Kagome not wanting to look.

"Armstrong," Jet reads it, much to Armstrong's surprise. "Three votes Kagome, three votes Armstrong."

Armstrong is looking around, wondering what is going on, with Temari looking particularly upset.

"Our final vote goes to…" Jet says.

He opens the vote slowly.

"Edward," Jet says.

"Me?" Ed asks in shock.

"That's right," Jet says. "We have a tie. We will now take a revote, with Armstrong and Kagome not voting, as they both received three votes each. The rest of you must vote for either Armstrong or Kagome this time. First, though, you two should each give a reason why you should stay. Armstrong, you go ahead first."

"I cook all the meals for this team, and as you could see by the first reward challenge, I could be a great help to this team winning challenges," Armstrong states. "And besides, how could you vote out these muscles?"

"And as for you, Kagome…" Jet says.

"I can do a lot of things too… and if Armstrong goes… I'll be willing to let anyone do what they want," Kagome remarks.

"Okay," Jet says. "It's time to revote. Ed, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays again, as Ed begins to get up from his seat.

Ed goes to vote.

_"My vote goes to Kagome," Ed says. "Sorry, but after giving away our steaks like that, you just don't belong around here."_

Orihime goes to vote.

Sango goes to vote.

_"Sorry, Armstrong," Sango says._

Temari goes to vote.

Toshiro goes to vote.

After Toshiro comes back from voting, Jet Black says, "I'll go tally the votes- again."

He goes over to the voting booth, rearranges the votes, then returns to the players.

"Again, once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet says. "The first vote goes to Armstrong."

Armstrong looks serious, waiting to hear the next vote.

"The second vote is for Kagome," Jet states.

Kagome again is very nervous.

"The third vote… Kagome," Jet says.

Kagome looks really nervous as Jet is about to pull out the next vote.

"Armstrong," Jet says. "That's two votes Armstrong, two votes Kagome."

Jet then slowly pulls out the last vote, and opens it even slower.

"The fourth person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan," Jet says, "is…"

He pauses for dramatic effect.

"Armstrong," Jet states, opening the final vote.

Armstrong sighs, then gets up and grabs his torch, walking over to Jet. Ed and Temari wave to him, and he waves back.

"Armstrong," Jet says, "the tribe has spoken."

He snuffs out Armstrong's torch with his snuffer.

"It's time for you to go," Jet tells Armstrong.

Armstrong then hops into the Bone-Eater's Well, leaving 6 players and Jet Black behind.

"Well, Armstrong cooked all the meals around your camp, and what do you do?" Jet says. "You vote him out, and leave someone who gave away your food. I hope you understand what kind of decision you made tonight. You can head back to camp."

The players head back to camp, with a clear divide between the alliance of Ed and Temari and the rest of the tribe.

_"I'm shocked," Armstrong says. "Temari said she had a plan that would keep both Ed and I here, but instead it backfired, and now I'm out, and both of them are in trouble. I don't understand what happened, or why I was chosen to be voted out instead of Kagome. It happened, though, and now I'm out and she's still in. I guess that's the way the game goes. But really, how could someone possibly vote out these muscles?"_

(Who voted for whom:

Armstrong- Kagome

Ed- Kagome, Kagome

Kagome- Armstrong

Orihime- Ed, Armstrong

Sango- Armstrong, Armstrong

Temari- Kagome, Kagome

Toshiro- Armstrong, Armstrong)

Scenes from our next episode:

_Loved ones come to visit the players:_

The players arrive at the immunity challenge to see Jet Black standing with 12 other people, each one of them being a familiar face to at least one player.

_The tribes are mixed up:_

"Finally, I have an important announcement to make. Some of you are switching tribes!"

_And one player has a difficult choice to make:_

"Now, Shinji, I need to know," Jet asks, "do you wish to leave the game?"


	5. Shinji Feels Fine: Days 13, 14, 15

--

--

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, sitting in a tree

Shinji Ikari, speaking up to Tenchi and Sasami

Makoto Kino, nearly giving away a secret

Ami Mizuno, relaxing in a swimming pool

Sasami, running after Ryo-ohki

Tenchi Masaki, extinguishing the fire in the reward challenge

Orihime Inoue, falling over during the reward challenge

Toshiro Hitsugaya, talking with Ginta and Hakkaku

Sango, comforting Kagome

Kagome Higurashi, giving steaks to Koga

Edward Elric, telling Kagome and Sango who they should vote for

Temari, expressing her anger towards Kagome

--

_It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And Shinji Feels Fine)_

Day 13

Seireitei Tribe

_"Last night's vote was very awful for Ed and me," Temari says. "I had a strategy that nearly worked, but since it didn't, our alliance is down to just the two of us, and we no longer have our cook Armstrong."_

"No, Orihime, you can't become our new cook," Toshiro says to Orihime.

"But Kagome said-" Orihime says.

"Kagome was just trying to get you not to vote her out," Toshiro replies. "She didn't actually mean that you could do whatever you wanted, and become our new cook- right, Kagome?"

"Well, um…" Kagome says.

"Come on, I need you to stand up to Orihime, for the good of all our stomachs!" Toshiro shouts.

"Okay…" Kagome says. "I'm sorry, Orihime, but most of us do not like your style of cooking. You may cook for yourself, but the rest of us would like a different cook."

"Oh, all right," Orihime responds. "I'm going to go cook for myself right now!"

Orihime runs off cheerfully to prepare her own meal. Sango, Kagome and Toshiro breathe a sigh of relief.

"That's fortunate," Sango says. "Now who will be our new cook?"

About thirty minutes later, Kagome is cooking the meal for the rest of the tribe. Ed and Temari are noticeably subdued compared to the other players, but Sango tries to bridge the gap.

"We need to all work together to win challenges," Sango tells them. "This isn't about two parts of a tribe, this is about us all working together so that doesn't matter anyway."

"I agree," Ed says. "We can worry about voting later, we just have to win our challenges."

"Winning would be a big change, considering our luck lately," Temari adds.

"Well, we're going to do all we can to win, and hopefully we can end up winning enough in order to gain an advantage over the other tribe," Sango says.

Jurai Tribe

Asuka is still nursing her right leg, which was injured considerably by Eva Unit 00 in the last immunity challenge. She shows it to Ami.

"This is not too bad," Ami tells Asuka. "You should be able to recover shortly. Just take it easy on that leg."

"I'll try," Asuka replies.

Just then, Ryo-ohki comes running full force into the room. Shinji comes rushing after it, and he ends up crashing right into Asuka.

"What are you doing, stupid Shinji?" Asuka shouts. "You almost hurt my leg again!"

"I'm sorry, Asuka," Shinji says.

"You'd better be sorry!" Asuka yells. "After all that stupid Wonder Girl did to me yesterday, and I've barely recovered from that embarrassment, and now you hurting my leg even worse- I can't take it anymore!"

"Do you need to leave the game?" a voice says.

Asuka, Ami and Shinji all turn around to see Jet Black standing in their house, with his arms crossed.

"How'd you get there?" Shinji asks.

"That's of no concern," Jet replies. "The question here is, do you, Asuka, need to leave the game?"

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka says. "There's no way I'd quit this game! I'm no quitter! A little leg injury and some embarrassment isn't enough to take me out of this game!"

Jet nods his head. "That's fine, then," he responds. "And I'm sure you won't want to leave the game once you find out what the reward is."

"Reward?" Ami asks. "What type of reward?"

"You'll see," Jet answers. "All I can say is that you won't be the only ones enjoying this reward."

He laughs as he exits the house, leaving the three of them in confusion.

"What does he mean by that?" Shinji asks.

"I can't ever figure him out," Ami responds.

Makoto walks into the room, followed by Sasami and Tenchi.

"We have very little rice left," Makoto says. "We really have to ration it out."

"Perhaps we should look for more fruit," Ami suggests.

"Or maybe our next challenge will allow us to win food," Tenchi says.

"I hope so," Sasami says. "Ryo-ohki needs to eat too!"

"Oh, that stupid thing? It can starve for all I care!" Asuka exclaims. "Why did you bring it along anyway?"

Sasami looks hurt. Tenchi puts his arms around her, trying to comfort her.

"Now you hurt Sasami's feelings!" he says.

"And do you think I care?" Asuka replies. "Absolutely not! No one cared when I was embarrassed by that stupid Ayanami!"

"Well, you should care!" Sasami snaps.

"All right, all right, settle down, everyone," Ami says, trying to stop the tension from building any further, but it is too late.

"I- I hate you, Sasami!" Asuka yells. "And you too, Tenchi! I hate you!"

Sasami and Tenchi look stunned by Asuka's remarks, as she runs upstairs to her room.

"Well, that was interesting," Makoto comments. "Now who wants some rice?"

Reward Challenge

About an hour later, the players from both teams go to the spot of the reward challenge. They arrive there to see Jet Black standing with 12 other people, each one of them being a familiar face to at least one player.

"InuYasha!" Kagome exclaims.

"Kaji!!" Asuka screams, rushing over and glomping him.

"All right, all right, settle down, everyone," Jet says, as players begin running over to meet the people standing next to him, such as Sasami rushing over to Ayeka and Orihime running to Ichigo Kurosaki.

"I've tried that… it doesn't work," Ami tells Jet.

Some of the people that Jet brought with him have also rushed over to meet their loved ones, such as Miroku meeting Sango and patting her in a way she definitely does not approve of, and Ryoko running over to Tenchi and hugging him, making both Ayeka and Makoto jealous.

"Uh, wasn't my grandfather supposed to be here?" Tenchi asks Ryoko. "He was the one I chose to come here, not you."

"Oh, I know that you really wanted me instead, so I scratched out his name and put in mine," Ryoko tells Tenchi.

"Get your hands off him!" Ayeka yells.

"Yeah, don't touch him!" Makoto screams.

"Attention!" Jet yells, stopping all the players and their friends in their tracks. "If we want to do this challenge, we have to have a little order here. I want to introduce everyone first. So, if you would please-"

Jet yanks Miroku away from Sango.

"-stop for a moment," he continues, "we can begin with the introductions."

Several of the characters begin to grumble as Jet puts them in order.

"Okay, first we have Rei Hino, a friend of Ami Mizuno," Jet says.

Rei waves her hand to Ami and Makoto.

"Next is Minako Aino, a friend of Makoto Kino," Jet adds.

Minako also waves to her friends.

"And here is Crown Princess Ayeka of Jurai, the older sister of Sasami," Jet says.

"It's good to see you, Ayeka," Sasami tells her sister.

"You too, Sasami," Ayeka replies.

"We've also got the space pirate Ryoko," Jet continues. "She is, according to my notes, Tenchi's one and only true love."

"What?!" Ayeka screams. "That's totally not true at all!"

"Yeah, he's my love!" Makoto yells.

"Hey, hey, I'm just stating the facts here," Ryoko says.

The other two turn bright red with anger towards Ryoko. Tenchi, meanwhile, simply laughs.

"And here is Major Misato Katsuragi, the caretaker of Shinji Ikari," Jet announces.

"Hi, Shinji," Misato says to him, but with her attention clearly focused on someone else.

"With her is Ryoji Kaji, a worker at NERV…" Jet begins to say.

"Hey!" Asuka screams, as Kaji and Misato begin to kiss each other.

Asuka runs over, trying to separate the two, but it is to no avail. The two just continue kissing, angering Asuka, while giving a little bit of humor to her fellow tribe members.

"And now, on to the friends of the Seireitei tribe members, starting with Alphonse Elric, the brother of Edward Elric," Jet states.

"That's your brother?" Temari asks. "Why is he wearing that armor?"

"It's a long story," Ed sighs.

"Also here is Kankaro, the brother of Temari," Jet adds.

"Your brother seems to have an interesting choice in clothing," Ed says.

"Tell me about it," Temari replies.

"Moving on, we've got here InuYasha, a half-breed… er, half-demon, a friend of Kagome," Jet says.

"Hey, what was that?" InuYasha yells at Jet. "Don't call me a half-breed!"

"Sorry, sorry," Jet says. "With him is the fiancé of Sango, the monk Miroku."

Miroku steps towards Sango, instantly causing her to react.

"Don't even think about coming over here!" she shouts. "I know what you're going to do!"

"I thought you liked it," Miroku replies, causing Sango to blush heavily.

"All right, all right," Jet says. "We also have here Ichigo Kurosaki, who says he is a substitute Soul Reaper."

"That's right," Ichigo responds.

"Okay," Jet says. "Finally, we have Momo Hinamori, lieutenant of Squad 5."

"Little 'Shiro!" Momo shouts, running over to Toshiro and hugging him.

"Don't call me that," Toshiro mutters.

"As you can see, Armstrong was voted out of the last Tribal Council," Jet announces. "Finally, I have an important announcement to make. Some of you are switching tribes!"

The players look at Jet in surprise, each of them wondering if he or she is going to be moved to the other tribe.

"Asuka, Tenchi, Makoto!" Jet shouts. "You are now members of the Seireitei Tribe!"

"Huh?" Tenchi asks.

"Ed, Orihime, Sango!" Jet yells. "You are now members of the Jurai Tribe!"

Ed gives a slight smile, while Orihime and Sango look a little confused.

"Now go over to your new tribes, everyone, before we get this reward challenge underway," Jet says.

The players who have been moved from one tribe to the other walk over to their new teammates, all of them feeling a little unsure about their future in the game.

"Okay, time for today's reward challenge," Jet announces. "This will be a matter of teamwork between you and your friends. Each player and his or her loved one will choose which one will carry the other, giving them a piggyback ride. You will then hop from rock to rock across this pond. If you fall into the water, both of you have to swim back to the beginning and start again. The team that gets all its members across the pond first wins reward! Want to know what you're playing for?"

The players and loved ones nod their heads in response.

"The winning tribe will be allowed to have their loved ones with them all the way until the next immunity challenge," Jet says. "In addition, you will be served meals by one of my assistants each day. Worth playing for?"

"Yeah!" many of the players yell.

"All right, I'll give you time to choose who you want to be the carriers," Jet tells them.

The players all discuss which ones should carry the others, which in most cases, is no real question. They then all line up at one end of the pond.

"Survivors ready!" Jet shouts. "Go!"

The players begin hopping across the pond, each of them slowly carrying their teammate. Al carries Ed quite easily, and Miroku has little trouble with Sango. It is InuYasha, carrying Kagome, who ends up taking a big lead, apparently very used to doing this.

"Remember, you need to have all your team members across the pond first in order to win!" Jet yells.

Misato is having the hardest time, as she tries to carry Shinji. She slips and falls into the water, bringing Shinji in with him.

"Back to the start!" Jet yells at the two drenched players.

InuYasha begins getting closer to the finish, with Miroku and Al not far behind him. Kankaro is in fourth place, carrying Temari.

"Be careful!" Temari yells at her brother.

"I am!" Kankaro says. "Just watch-"

Kankaro then hits his foot awkwardly on a rock, and he and Temari go splashing into the water.

"You two- back to the start!" Jet yells.

Temari gives Kankaro a death glare as the two begin swimming back to the start.

"Oh, Kaji!" Asuka says, with her arms wrapped around Kaji's neck tightly.

"Asuka, you're choking me," Kaji replies.

Kaji is doing a great job carrying Asuka across the pond, however, as he is in fourth place. Meanwhile, InuYasha easily crosses the finish line, followed shortly by Miroku.

"InuYasha and Kagome are across for Seireitei!" Jet yells. "Miroku and Sango are across for Jurai!"

Al is about to cross the finish line, when he trips. However, he lands on solid ground, as does Ed.

"Al and Ed are across for Jurai!" Jet announces.

Kaji and Asuka are closely followed by Ichigo carrying Orihime, as well as Toshiro carrying Momo. Meanwhile, Tenchi is struggling trying to carry Ryoko, and Ayeka is not having the easiest time carrying Sasami.

"Ryoko, would you get out of my way?" Ayeka yells.

"Sorry, Ayeka, I guess I'm beating you again," Ryoko shouts, from Tenchi's back.

"Ooh, that Ryoko!" Ayeka yells.

Makoto begins gaining some ground, carrying Minako, while Rei is struggling trying to carry Ami. They are quickly passed by Kankaro and Temari, while Misato and Shinji remain in last.

"Come on, Misato!" Shinji yells.

"I'm trying…" Misato says. "I'm not exactly that strong… but I like hearing some emotion out of you!"

Misato seems to be a little more energized, because she is surprised to hear Shinji actually having some spirit. She passes up Rei and Ami. At the same time, Kaji crosses the finish line with Asuka, and the two Soul Reapers quickly follow him.

"We have three teams across for Seireitei, three teams across for Jurai!" Jet announces.

Kankaro makes up a lot of ground in a hurry, and he carries Temari across the finish line, followed quickly by Tenchi and Ryoko.

"That's five for Seireitei!" Jet yells. "They only need Makoto and Minako to cross the finish line in order to win!"

Ayeka and Sasami begin getting closer to the finish, with Misato carrying Shinji behind them. The Sailor Senshi are struggling way behind the rest, as Makoto begins to tire.

"Keep going, Makoto!" Minako yells.

"I'm trying, Minako!" Makoto replies.

Ayeka nearly trips right at the finish line, but she makes it safely across. Misato follows them closely, carrying Shinji across the finish line.

"That's five for Jurai, five for Seireitei!" Jet announces. "The next group across wins!"

Rei and Makoto are now running side-by-side, but Makoto seems to have a slight advantage in speed. She gains a little bit of ground on Rei as they approach the finish line, when suddenly…

"Aiyeeeee!"

Minako loses her grip on Makoto and drops off her back, falling into the water. Makoto looks back at Minako with confusion, while her teammates all throw their arms up in frustration. Rei, meanwhile, makes it across the finish line with Ami on her back.

"Jurai wins reward!" Jet shouts.

The Jurai players and their loved ones begin celebrating, some players jumping up and down. The Seireitei players just stare at the soaked Minako, knowing her slip-up cost them the challenge.

"Jurai, you and your loved ones can head back to camp, where there will be a feast waiting for you," Jet says. "Seireitei, it's time for you to say goodbye to your loved ones."

The Seireitei tribe members go to hug their loved ones, save for Makoto and Minako, as Makoto is trying to dry off Minako.

"I've got to go take care of my watermelons," Kaji tells Asuka as she tearfully embraces him.

"You better not get too close to Misato while I'm gone!" Asuka yells.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Kaji laughs.

Jet begins getting annoyed with seeing how long it is taking for some of the Seireitei members to say goodbye, particularly Ryoko and Tenchi.

"All right, come on, break it up," Jet says, pulling Ryoko off Tenchi. "You six get back to camp… you need to get acquainted with your new tribe members."

The Seireitei tribe members walk back towards their tribe, with Jet leaving with their loved ones. Meanwhile, the Jurai tribe members and their loved ones walk together back to their camp.

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Ed, Orihime, Sango)

"I can't believe we won!" Rei exclaims.

"We got a little lucky, I have to say," Ami replies.

"Who cares? At least we won," Ed says.

The players walk into the house Washu created, seeing a feast laid out for them, all prepared by Erika, the Pokémon trainer and gym leader of Celadon City. Miroku immediately runs up to her.

"Excuse me, miss, but I was wondering… would a beautiful girl like you be willing to bear my children?" he asks.

Sango immediately runs up and slaps him, causing Erika to simply laugh.

"Thank you for the meal," Orihime tells Erika.

"You're welcome," Erika replies. "Enjoy!"

As Erika leaves, the players begin to eat their meal, as well as talk to each other in an attempt to get to know each other better.

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

The players are eating a meal, as there is still a large amount of food that they saved from the reward challenge Armstrong won for them a while back. Makoto and Tenchi seem to be getting along just fine with the original Seireitei players, although Asuka seems to be a little isolated.

"So this is where you guys have been staying? Not bad," Tenchi comments.

"Yeah, that Ed guy helped make it," Toshiro says. "He's a bit of a pipsqueak, but he can do amazing things."

"Look who's talking," Asuka remarks.

Toshiro bristles at the comment, but Kagome quickly changes the subject.

"How is the food over at your old camp?" she asks.

"We had hardly any left," Makoto replies. "I'm kind of glad that we got switched, because we were just about to run out."

"Winning that one challenge was very important for us, because we still have so much food," Temari comments.

"Why is Armstrong gone, after winning that big challenge for you?" Tenchi asks, making the three original Seireitei members pause and think for a minute.

"I think you can answer that, Kagome," Temari says, with a little bit of annoyance in her voice.

"Uh… ha ha… yeah," Kagome replies. "Well, see, we had a tie last time, between Armstrong and me. Then I sort of promised Orihime that she could cook for us, even though I didn't mean it, and she placed her vote for Armstrong to break the tie."

The whole time Kagome is explaining this, Toshiro stares at her with uneasiness and a bit of anger.

_"I don't believe this," Toshiro says. "These people come over from the other tribe, probably as a strong alliance, and Kagome decides just to spill the beans and let them know everything that went on. She not only tells them that she got a bunch of votes, but also that she basically lied to Orihime. So she basically just put a gigantic target on her back."_

Later that evening, Temari goes up to Asuka and talks to her privately.

"I'm on the outs in this tribe," she tells Asuka. "That white-haired pipsqueak and that girl with him are really close, and they probably want me out next."

"Why should I care?" Asuka asks. "Isn't that your problem?"

Temari sighs, but continues on.

"Look, I was just wondering if you would like to help me take out that girl, Kagome," Temari says. "You and those two others from your tribe can vote with me."

"I guess that could work out," Asuka replies. "I wasn't planning on losing the immunity challenge, though."

"Well, of course not," Temari says. "We'll try to win immunity so it's not a problem."

_"If I didn't have trouble with my own alliance, I'd be gunning for this Asuka girl, to get her out," Temari says. "But I think I need her around for other purposes…"_

Day 14

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Ed, Orihime, Sango)

Sango wakes up early the next morning, and begins talking to Miroku about possible strategy. She explains what has gone on in the past votes, and asks him for his advice.

"The best choice for you would be the moderate one," Miroku tells her. "Do not go too much towards one side or the other."

Sango sighs. "I knew you'd say that," she replies. "I was hoping you'd tell me who I should trust."

"Trust no one but yourself," Miroku says. "But if there was one I'd take advantage of, it would be that girl with the long orange hair."

"Orihime?" Sango asks.

"She seems that she may be a little… naïve," Miroku adds.

At that moment, Ichigo and Orihime come walking towards the room Sango and Miroku are in.

"Hey, come on in here!" Miroku calls to them, with Sango putting her hand over her face in embarrassment.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Ichigo asks, as he and Orihime walk into the room.

"We were thinking that we could make a pretty good alliance with you," Miroku says. "Right, Sango?"

"Uh, yeah," Sango says. "If you want."

"Oh, of course!" the cheerful Orihime replies. "But what about Ed?"

"What about him?" Miroku asks.

"Well, he told me he wanted us from the old tribe to stay together," Orihime says.

"That would make sense," Sango responds.

That afternoon, while Sango and Orihime go to talk with Ed, Ami meets up with Sasami and Shinji.

"You know, it would make sense if we all voted together," Ami tells the two of them.

"I don't know," Sasami says. "What do you think, Ayeka?"

Ayeka looks sort of shocked at the question. "Um, I really don't know, Sasami," she replies.

"All she's suggesting is that the three of you who were together in the first place, stay together," Rei speaks up.

"Oh!" Sasami exclaims. "Okay!"

_"You'd think it would be an advantage to play this game with a bunch of people who don't know what's going on, but not really," Ami says. "I've got only one vote, and convincing others to vote with me is really hard, because they don't understand what an alliance is."_

"I guess I'll join too," Shinji says. "But who will we vote for?"

Ami pauses for a moment. "We've got to choose the one of them who is most likely to have gotten votes already," she says.

"Why is that?" Sasami asks.

Feeling a little frustrated, Ami holds back her anger to explain. "In this game, if two people end up tied in votes, the tiebreaker is votes from previous Tribal Councils," she explains. "So if we three vote for one of the new tribe members, and they all vote for one of us, the one with more previous votes is the one who gets voted out."

Sasami looks at Ami with complete befuddlement. Shinji is having a hard time understanding himself. Ayeka and Misato both understand Ami, but they do not know how to put it better than she did.

"I'll make it easier," Rei says. "Which one of those three do you think has gotten voted for before?"

"I don't know," Sasami says. "Who do you think, Ayeka?"

Ayeka nearly turns purple. "Sasami! You're the one playing this game, not me!" she exclaims.

"Well, I was just going along with Tenchi all this time… I wasn't paying much attention," Sasami says.

"I think I know," Shinji says. "It's probably-"

Shinji is cut off by Misato. "Shinji, before you get too caught up in this game, I have something to talk to you about," she says.

Her next statement is one that completely changes the game for Shinji.

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

Things at Seireitei were not much different now than they were before. Toshiro and Kagome still spent time talking to each other in the log cabin. Makoto continued flirting with Tenchi, as they sat in the fields among the flowers. Temari stayed over near the woods, as she did before, thinking of a plan that would keep her around for a while to come. But Asuka had nothing to do, and no place to go. She was frustrated. At least she could talk to Ami at the old tribe, but now she was on her own. So she wandered off into the distance, until she came up on a little toad, kicking him by mistake.

"Hey! I'll get Sesshomaru after you!" the toad, Jaken yells.

"What?" Asuka asks. "You're just a stupid little toad. Get out of my way!"

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken calls, running off into the woods.

_"It's bad enough I've got a bunch of annoying teammates, but there's these stupid things living around our camp," Asuka says._

About twenty minutes later, Sesshomaru comes out of the woods and approaches Asuka.

"Is there a reason you are treading on my territory?" he asks her.

"Your territory? I don't care whether it is or not, I walk where I want to!" Asuka yells at him.

"Excuse me?" Sesshomaru says. "Do you really want to make me force you off this land?"

"Force me?" Asuka laughs. "No one forces Asuka Langley Soryu to do anything!"

Sesshomaru reaches for his sword, but at that moment, Rin calls out for him.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Look what I found!" Rin screams.

Sesshomaru sighs. "I have something to deal with, but if you dare try coming back here, I'll make sure to kill you," he tells Asuka.

"I'm sure," Asuka replies.

"I can't kill you in front of Rin," Sesshomaru says. "Or I gladly would slaughter you right here."

"You're just scared," Asuka responds.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin calls.

"I hope not to see you again," Sesshomaru tells Asuka, as he walks away.

Asuka simply shrugs her shoulders. "That was pretty strange," she says, as she walks back to the camp.

At the camp, when Asuka tells the others about her encounter with Sesshomaru, it gets Toshiro and Kagome up in arms.

"I knew he was still alive," Toshiro mutters.

"Well, I'm sort of glad he's alive," Kagome says. "But why did you have to go get him upset?"

"All I did was bumped into some little toad," Asuka replies. "I wasn't trying to start a fight."

"You know what this means, don't you?" Toshiro says. "Sesshomaru is going to come here and start bothering us again."

Asuka shrugs her shoulders. "Who cares?" she says.

"I care!" Toshiro yells. "He wants to kill us!"

"Oh, do you really think he can hurt us? Come on!" Asuka snaps.

_"This Asuka character is becoming a prime target," Toshiro says. "If she's only going to do stuff such as getting Sesshomaru upset at us, we don't need her around."_

Toshiro and Kagome begin to completely shun Asuka, which only makes things more awkward around the camp, with it already being strange enough having Temari off on her own and Makoto constantly flirting with Tenchi. This is how it goes for the rest of the day, with the players even refusing to eat together.

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Ed, Orihime, Sango)

Shinji stares at Misato with fear and shock. He is having a hard time believing what she just said.

"The Angels? They're back?" he asks.

"I'm afraid so," Misato replies.

"But I thought we defeated all of them!" Shinji shouts. "Kaworu was the last one! I thought Kaji found this all out!"

"Kaji found out a lot of information from SEELE, after faking his death and managing to get their secrets out in the open for the public to know," Misato explains. "And while you managed to stop Third Impact from occurring, there's a possibility it could still happen, if the Angels manage to defeat us."

"No! I promised I'd never pilot an Eva again!" Shinji screams. "I thought that's why you allowed Asuka and I to have this vacation!"

"Well, we weren't expecting the Angels to return," Misato responds. "Or else we would have never let you go."

Meanwhile, the others in the tribe watch Misato and Shinji's conversation with great interest, and confusion.

"Angels?" Rei asks.

"Third Impact?" Ed asks.

"SEELE?" Ayeka asks.

Misato waves her hand at the other tribe members and their loved ones. "Sorry!" she says. "I didn't mean to try to scare you all! We're just having some trouble in _our_ world right now, and I need Shinji's help."

"But what about Ayanami?" Shinji asks. "Isn't she available to pilot the Eva?"

"We need at least two Evas in action in order to be safe," Misato says.

"Why not ask Asuka? I'm sure she'd be glad to pilot the Eva," Shinji replies.

"Kaji was going to ask her if her team won, but since your team won, I'm here to ask you," Misato says. "Now it's up to you, Shinji, but think about how important this is."

"I'm here to play this game!" Shinji shouts. "I mustn't run away! I mustn't run away!"

"You also have responsibilities to your world, to protect us," Misato says. "Think of what would happen if Ayanami were defeated, and Third Impact destroyed us all! You wouldn't have any money to spend!"

Shinji looks absolutely sick, torn up inside from the idea of having to pilot Eva again. He just sits down with his arms crossed and his head down, in great mental agony.

"Poor Shinji!" Sasami says, running over to comfort him.

Misato gives Sasami a sad look. "I'm sorry… I wish we didn't have these problems," she says. "But I think we're going to have to tell the host about this situation."

About an hour later, Jet arrives at the Jurai camp, entering the house Washu created. Shinji is still sitting in agony, while the others look worried as well. Misato pulls Jet aside, and begins to explain the situation to him. Jet nods his head during the explanation, then addresses Shinji.

"It is to my understanding you have cause to leave the game," Jet tells him. "Now I'm not going to try to convince you to stay. I just want to know whether you're ready to exit this game for good or not."

Shinji looks up at Jet sadly. "I don't know," he says. "I don't want to leave, but I feel like I have to."

"You're going to have to make up your mind," Jet says. "It's going to jeopardize your chances in this game if you continue to waver."

"I don't know!" Shinji yells. "I'd rather stay here, but if I do, my world could be destroyed!"

"Shinji is very important to our world," Misato tells Jet. "We desperately need him around."

"Whoa, whoa," Jet says. "It was to my understanding that Shinji wanted to leave the game. You're telling me that _you_ want him to leave? I'm sorry, but no outside influences are allowed in his decision. He must choose for himself."

"But sir-" Misato says.

"Sorry," Jet replies. He then turns to Shinji, who is shaking from fear.

"Now, Shinji, I need to know," Jet asks, "do you wish to leave the game?"

Shinji is having a hard time answering, so Sasami pulls him aside.

"You can tell me," she whispers to him. "Tell me want you really want, and I'll defend you."

Shinji pauses for a moment, thinking about what he wants to do. He then whispers back to Sasami, "I want to stay."

Sasami looks up at Jet and Misato. "He's staying!" she shouts. "You can't make him leave!"

"I need to hear it from Shinji himself," Jet says. "Shinji, will you stay or will you go?"

"I'm staying!" he yells, much to Misato's dismay. "I mustn't run away! I came here to win this game, and to get away from Tokyo-3, and this is what I want!"

"But Shinji-" Misato says.

"Let Ayanami do it!" Shinji yells. "I'm sure she can defeat the Angel!"

"Shinji!" Misato snaps. "You can't do this to me- to us! Tokyo-3 could be destroyed!"

Jet looks quite angry. "I'm sorry, Miss Katsuragi, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he tells her.

"What?!" she shouts.

"You are trying to influence the decisions of a player who is currently in the game, and you are an outsider," he explains. "We allow the giving of advice, but we do not allow outsiders to come in here and tell our contestants that they must leave the game. Shinji has chosen to stay, and he will, unless he is voted out. You will come with me."

"But you don't understand!" Misato screams at Jet. "Third Impact could occur!"

"I don't care if it's Thirty-Third Impact, you're not pulling Shinji out of the game," Jet responds. "Let's go!"

He grabs Misato by the arm and pulls her out of the house. After Misato and Jet are out of the house, the entire house applauds Shinji.

"You made up your mind, and you chose something for yourself!" Ami says to him. "Congratulations!"

"Congratulations!" Sasami says.

"Congratulations!" Sango says.

"Congratulations!" Ed says.

"Congratulations!" Orihime says.

Shinji begins looking agonized again, and he runs away from the rest of the tribe. "Not this again!" he yells.

The other tribe members and loved ones look at each other in utter confusion. "Why did he get so upset?" Miroku asks Sango.

"Who knows?" Sango says. "All we did was say 'congratulations.'"

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

_"It's looking pretty bad for me," Asuka says. "I've got that pipsqueak and his girlfriend or whoever mad at me, and I don't think that other couple likes me very much. So it's down to the ninja girl. I've got to get an alliance with her going."_

Asuka goes to talk with Temari that night, trying to come up with a strategy.

"That pipsqueak hates me," she tells Temari. "I don't know how we're going to get an alliance with him."

"Well, he doesn't like me either," Temari says. "He and Kagome cannot be trusted. What about those other two? Do they trust you?"

"Not really," Asuka replies. "They seemed to go along with my vote both times, but it was mainly because the two people we voted out were just so despicable. I'm not sure if either one of them had something cooking to get me out."

"They may be our only option," Temari says. "If we can even get one of their votes, we go after Kagome. She got a bunch of votes last Tribal, and she'd lose any tiebreaker."

"I only wish Shinji was here," Asuka responds. "He'd go along with anything I say… because I'm irresistible to him. I hope he survives… not because I care about him! No! Just because I need his vote."

Makoto, meanwhile, is talking with Tenchi, away from the others.

"It seems that white-haired boy is close with that schoolgirl," she tells him. "They have an alliance."

"Yeah, but the ninja girl isn't with them," Tenchi says. "Maybe we should vote her out."

"But what about that annoying Asuka?" Makoto asks. "Isn't this the perfect time to get her out of the game?"

"I'm not sure," Tenchi says. "We might be able to use her later in the game, because she's sure to get herself voted out eventually."

"She could also turn on us," Makoto says. "I don't trust her at all."

And inside the log cabin, Toshiro has come up with a strategy with Kagome.

"She's going home tomorrow if we don't win immunity," he tells her.

"But how are we going to get support?" Kagome asks. "We're only two votes."

"I'll make sure of it," Toshiro says. "You don't have anything to worry about."

Day 15

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

_"There is one particular person I do not care for at all on this tribe," Toshiro says. "She is going home whether she likes it or not. I almost hope we lose immunity, just so I can vote her out."_

As the Seireitei tribe eats lunch, Toshiro pulls Makoto and Tenchi aside to talk with them, while Kagome tries to make conversation with Asuka and Temari for the sole purpose of distracting them.

"I need your help," he tells them. "There's someone Kagome and I want to get rid of tonight, if we lose."

"Who is it?" Makoto asks.

Toshiro whispers the name of the person in Makoto's ear. She then whispers the name to Tenchi.

"Okay, we'll do it," Tenchi says. "You've got our votes."

"You can count on us," Makoto adds.

"Thank you," Toshiro says.

_"Well, that was easy," Toshiro says. "I just hope they keep their promise."_

About an hour later, Asuka goes over to talk to Tenchi and Makoto, when they are away from the rest of the tribe.

"We're former Jurai members, so I was hoping you could help me," she tells them.

"With what?" Makoto asks.

"I want you to vote out Kagome," she tells them. "If we vote her out, we will have more of us former Jurai members than them."

"But we're only three," Tenchi says. "That would create a tie."

"Kagome has previous votes cast against her," Asuka tells them. "She'll go down in any tiebreaker."

Makoto and Tenchi look at each other with a little bit of doubt.

"Okay," Makoto tells Asuka. "You've got our votes."

"Thank you," Asuka says.

_"I guess we're the most important people in this tribe," Makoto says. "Our votes will determine who goes home next."_

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Ed, Orihime, Sango)

_"This immunity challenge is huge for us," Sango says. "We three former Seireitei members are voting together, but we don't know which of their tribe members has votes cast against them, so we could lose in a tiebreaker."_

"So, how have the past votes gone?" Al asks Sasami, as the players are gathered together, about half an hour before the immunity challenge.

"Well, let's see," Sasami says. "We voted out Ash, then Brock."

"But what about the other people who got votes?" Al asks. "Do you remember those?"

"Um… I think," Sasami says. "They were…"

She then remembers what Ami told her before, something about tiebreakers.

"Uh… I don't know," she says.

"Come on, you can trust me," Al says. "It's just for fun."

"Sorry, but you're a stranger!" Sasami says, running away from Ed.

Al looks over at Ed. "What was that about?" he asks.

"I think she's smarter than we think," Ed replies.

Immunity Challenge

The players gather together for the immunity challenge, with the loved ones of the Jurai tribe being sent away by Jet. After they leave, Jet tells Asuka, "I need back the immunity plushie."

Asuka tosses Kon to Jet.

"All right," Jet says. "Immunity is back up for grabs. As you may have been able to tell, part of the theme of the past three days was you tribe members getting to know each other better. Now that you've met new people, perhaps you'll know something about their backgrounds. Or, at least, you'd better hope so, because that is today's challenge. We are going to have trivia questions about the various players in this game. For each question, I will ask one member of each tribe to give an answer. If the answer is correct, you get a point, and if not, you don't get a point. Whichever tribe scores more points after six questions will be our victor, and take home immunity!"

The players look at each other with worry, considering they did not take that much time to get to know each other over the last few days, especially not the Seireitei members. Meanwhile, Jet gives paper and pencils to all the players. They then sit down and prepare for the questions.

"Okay, here is our first question," Jet says. "Ami and Asuka, this is for you. Which player is a captain in the Soul Society?"

Ami and Asuka look over at their fellow tribe members.

"No help from others!" Jet yells. "You answer on your own!"

They both then write down their answers, and show them to Jet.

"Ami says it's Toshiro," Jet announces. "Asuka says it's Ed. The correct answer: Toshiro! 1 point for Jurai!"

Asuka sighs as Toshiro gives her an angry stare.

"Next question!" Jet says. "This is for Ed and Kagome! Which player is pilot of Eva Unit 02?"

Both write down their answers, then show them to Jet.

"Ed says it's Shinji, while Kagome is going with Asuka," Jet says. "The correct answer is Asuka! 1 point for Seireitei!"

"I thought that controversy was about Shinji being an Eva pilot!" Ed shouts.

"He's pilot of Eva Unit 01!" Jet replies. "Gotta know your numbers! Okay, next one, for Orihime and Makoto! Which player is a ninja?"

Both players quickly write down their answers.

"Orihime says Temari… Makoto also says Temari!" Jet says. "Yes, it is Temari! That makes the score 2-2!"

Orihime and Makoto smile about getting it right, although Temari crosses her arms, figuring it was an easy question.

"Next up, Sango and Temari!" Jet says. "Which player is an alchemist?"

This is another easy one, as both players quickly answer the question.

"Both of you say Ed, and both of you are right!" Jet says. "It's now 3-3! Let's move on to Sasami and Tenchi! Which player is a demon slayer?"

Both players write their responses on their sheets of paper.

"Sasami says Sango, and Tenchi is going with Sango as well… you're both right!" Jet shouts. "This may be too easy! It's 4-4, and it will come down to the final question! Time for Toshiro and Shinji!"

The two look at each other with a competitive look, then stare back at Jet, waiting for the question.

"Which player carries a sword that has the same name as the player who carries it?" Jet asks.

Shinji thinks about it. Jet couldn't possibly be asking a question about Toshiro, because that would be unfair. So it must be someone else. He looks around, trying to think of who would carry a sword, and he thinks he's figured it out.

"Okay, let's see," Jet says. "Shinji is going with… Sango! Toshiro is picking Tenchi! And the correct answer is…"

The players look longingly at Jet, waiting for the answer.

"Tenchi!" Jet shouts. "Seireitei wins immunity!"

Jet tosses Kon to Makoto as the Seireitei tribe begins to celebrate.

"We win!" Makoto yells, hugging Kon tightly across her chest.

_Oh, Makoto!_ Kon thinks.

"Jurai!" Jet shouts. "I'll see you tonight at Tribal! Someone's going home, and you've got a few hours to figure out who that's going to be."

The players walk back to their camps, with Seireitei celebrating, while the Jurai players look disappointed.

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Ed, Orihime, Sango)

_"Well, we lost immunity," Ed says. "Now we've got to figure out which of their members has previous votes cast against them."_

This task is not easy for Ed and his fellow former Seireitei tribe members, however, as Ami, Shinji and Sasami go into one room and close the door, talking very quietly about who they want to vote out.

"I really think that Orihime and Sango are too nice to have had votes cast against them," Ami says. "Ed's the only one who could have possibly received a vote."

"So we're voting for Ed?" Sasami asks.

"Yes," Ami answers. "This must remain a secret."

"Wait a minute," Shinji says. "I have an idea."

Meanwhile, Sango, Orihime and Ed begin talking out their strategy as well.

"Who could have received a vote of those three?" Ed asks.

"I don't think that cute Sasami would have received votes," Orihime says.

"Ami seems pretty nice too, she wouldn't have gotten any votes," Ed adds. "But Shinji… I don't know, he doesn't seem like the type anyone would vote out either. Maybe none of them have received votes already."

"So who are we going to vote for?" Orihime asks.

"We don't know," Sango replies. "I was thinking maybe Sasami- she may have gotten on someone's nerves."

"That makes sense to me," Ed says. "That's probably the best possibility."

"We'll try to get some information at Tribal Council tonight, then we'll make our votes," Sango says.

"Okay," Orihime responds.

Tribal Council

The players come into Tribal Council and set their torches down, then sit down across from Jet Black.

"So, Sango, what is it like at the new camp?" Jet asks.

"I think it's great, a lot better than the old one," Sango replies. "Of course, we received food because we won the challenge, so we'll have to see what it's like without that food."

"Ami, what's it like to have three new people at your camp?" Jet questions her.

"It's definitely different," Ami responds. "There were certain people we got along with, and a certain one we didn't. Now we have to make new friendships, and that can be difficult, but it's part of the game."

"Shinji, you had a difficult time yesterday," Jet states. "You were basically told by your guardian Misato Katsuragi that she wants you home, to save the world or something. How does this make you feel?"

"Terrible," Shinji says. "I want to go home. Tonight."

All five players give looks of shock to Shinji. Jet himself is surprised.

"So, you are willing to just lay down your torch?" Jet asks Shinji.

"No, I want to be voted out, and leave this game the honorable way," Shinji replies. "Then I'll feel like I really tried."

"Wow, this is certainly a turn of events," Jet says. "So, Ed, will this affect your voting?"

"Well, definitely," Ed responds. "If Shinji wants to go home, we'll be glad to send him home."

"I don't understand why Shinji just doesn't lay down his torch," Sango comments. "One of us will end up getting his vote, and that could hurt in future tiebreakers."

"Any response to that?" Jet asks.

Shinji sighs. "This is how I want to leave the game, in an honorable way, by getting voted out, not by laying down my torch," he explains. "Misato would be angry if she found out that I fought her, just to lay down my torch, but if I'm voted out, she will understand."

"I understand, Shinji," Orihime replies.

"Okay, there you have it," Jet says. "Now I know you've made a friendship with Shinji, Sasami. How does this affect you?"

"I'll miss you when you're gone, Shinji," Sasami tells him. "I don't want you to go, that's for sure, but I understand."

"Thank you, Sasami," Shinji responds. "I'll miss you, too."

"Well, this is part of the game," Jet says. "Friendships are made, and eventually, one player has to go. But the game will go on. Okay, it's time to vote. Ami, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays, as Ami gets up from her seat.

Ami goes to vote.

Ed goes to vote.

_"Shinji, per your wishes," Ed says. "I wish you good luck with your battle."_

Orihime goes to vote.

Sango goes to vote.

_"Shinji, I wasn't going to vote for you," Sango says. "But you want to go home, and I understand, so here's my vote."_

Sasami goes to vote.

Shinji goes to vote.

After Shinji comes back from placing his vote, Jet says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet gathers the votes, re-arranges them, then addresses the players.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet announces. "Our first vote: Shinji."

Shinji is expressionless upon hearing his name.

"The second vote… Shinji," Jet says.

Shinji gives no response again.

"Shinji," Jet says. "That's three votes for Shinji."

Jet pulls out the next vote, giving a long pause before pulling it out.

"Ed," Jet says. "Three votes for Shinji, one vote for Ed."

Ed does not give any response, as he knew Shinji had to vote for someone besides himself.

Jet pulls out the fifth vote, opening it up very slowly.

"Ed," Jet states. "That's three votes Shinji, two votes Ed."

Ed looks at Jet in confusion, wondering why he received a second vote, but then he realizes that it must have been from Sasami, who probably refused to vote for Shinji.

"The final vote," Jet announces, pulling it out and opening it slowly. "Ed."

"What?!" Ed screams, as Orihime and Sango gasp.

"Three votes for Shinji and Ed," Jet says. "We have a tie, so we will revote. Both Shinji and Ed will not vote, but the rest of you will vote for one of the two of them. But first, you may give a reason to the others why you should stay, as opposed to the other. Ed, go ahead."

"I don't understand!" Ed shouts. "You said you wanted to be voted out, Shinji! What's with me getting three votes? I thought we were all voting you out!"

Shinji smiles. "I'm sorry," he says. "It was all a lie. Ami, Sasami and I worked this out, in order to get you three to vote for me, because I have no previous votes cast against me. Now we just have to hope that you have had a vote cast against you already."

Ed, Orihime and Sango look at each other with varying degrees of shock and anger, Orihime looking surprised, while the other two look mad. The other three simply smile at them, with Ami chuckling a little bit.

"Okay, it's time to revote," Jet states. "Ami, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Ami gets up from her seat.

Ami goes to vote.

_"Gotcha!" Ami says. "Shinji, you're a genius!"_

Orihime goes to vote.

Sango goes to vote.

_"I can't believe this, Shinji," Sango says. "I thought you were good-hearted… now I see that you were just a liar."_

Sasami goes to vote.

After Sasami comes back from voting, Jet states, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet goes to retrieve the votes, rearranges them, then returns to the players.

"Again, once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet says. "Our first vote is for Ed."

Ed stares at Shinji angrily but helplessly.

"The second vote is for Shinji," Jet states.

Shinji simply smiles, knowing that was coming.

"The third vote goes to Shinji," Jet says. "That's two votes Shinji, one vote Ed."

Shinji begins to feel a little nervous, worried that perhaps Ami or Sasami could have turned on him.

"The fourth and final vote," Jet says, pulling it out and opening it up very slowly, "goes to Ed."

Ed shakes his head in disgust.

"Since we have a second tie, we go to votes in previous Tribal Councils," Jet states. "How many votes have you received, Shinji?"

"None," Shinji replies with a smile on his face.

"And how many have you received, Ed?" Jet asks.

"One, that I know of," Ed answers, rather angrily.

"Enough! You need to bring me your torch," Jet responds.

Ed gets up slowly, quite angry about what has just happened. He grabs his torch, then holds it out towards Jet.

"Ed, the tribe has spoken," Jet says, snuffing out Ed's torch. "It's time for you to go."

Ed then waves to Orihime and Sango, before jumping into the Bone-Eater's Well.

"Well, this game is full of deceit and trickery, and I think we got a good taste of that tonight," Jet says. "You can head back to camp."

The five tribe members grab their torches and head back to camp, with Orihime and Sango walking separately from the other three.

_"Shinji, I hope your world gets destroyed while you're gone," Ed says. "I hope the Angels, or whatever they are, cause Third Impact like that girl said, and you have no world to return to. You are a despicable liar, a complete fake. To receive, you must give something in return, and I guess you decided to give up your innocence and truthfulness in order to receive money. Good luck spending it if your world no longer exists!"_

(Who voted for whom:

Ami- Ed, Ed

Ed- Shinji

Orihime- Shinji, Shinji

Sango- Shinji, Shinji

Sasami- Ed, Ed

Shinji- Ed)

Scenes from our next episode:

_In an attempt to improve their standing within the Jurai tribe, Orihime and Sango have an offer for their starving teammates:_

"We have four apples," Sango says. "Now I think it's fair that each of us who looked for the apples gets one… and we'll give out the other two to whoever promises not to vote us out in the next vote."

_A player suffers severe injuries and is given little choice:_

"I'm really sorry, but I have to tell you this," Retsu says. "Your injuries are potentially fatal- you need to leave the game."

_And two players share their first kiss:_

The two forget about their loved ones for a moment, and suddenly, find themselves with locked lips.


	6. Tempted: Days 16, 17, 18

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, bumping into Jaken

Shinji Ikari, agonizing over whether to stay or leave the game

Makoto Kino, agreeing with Toshiro

Ami Mizuno, talking with Shinji and Sasami

Sasami, comforting Shinji

Tenchi Masaki, looking stunned at Asuka's yelling at him

Orihime Inoue, running off to cook

Toshiro Hitsugaya, whispering to Makoto

Sango, saying "Congratulations" to Shinji

Kagome Higurashi, telling Orihime she cannot cook for the tribe

Temari, strategizing with Asuka

_Tempted_

Day 16

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Orihime, Sango)

Shinji appears in a room all by himself, sitting on a chair, looking very depressed and worried. Other people begin appearing, asking him questions.

"Why did you lie like that, just to win some money?" Ed asks.

"It was part of the game!" Shinji replies. "I was just playing the game!"

"The Angels are attacking, and all you care about is yourself!" Misato says. "We could die, but you don't care!"

"Rei can handle it!" Shinji shouts. "Besides, I hate the Eva!"

"You're putting my life at risk," Rei Ayanami says. "I may not be able to defeat the Angels myself."

"The Angels were supposed to be gone!" Shinji yells. "There weren't supposed to be any more!"

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka says. "Who knows how many lies SEELE told to us? We may have to fight the Angels for the rest of our lives!"

"No!" Shinji screams.

Sasami comes rushing into Shinji's room, after hearing him scream. "Are you okay, Shinji?" she asks him. "What's the matter?"

Shinji sees Sasami, then realizes it was all a nightmare. "I was having a nightmare," he tells her. "I feel so bad about my choices."

"It's okay, Shinji," Sasami replies. "You're just playing a game."

"But I may have put my world in jeopardy!" Shinji cries. "Misato and Rei could die thanks to my decision!"

"You worry too much," Sasami says. "I'm sure everything will be all right. Come on, let's go get some food."

Shinji follows Sasami downstairs, where they see Orihime looking distraught.

"What's the matter?" Shinji asks.

"We're out of rice!" Orihime cries. "We have no food!"

Ami and Sango come rushing into the room, hearing Orihime.

"What do you mean?" Sango asks. "We're completely out?"

"There's none left at all!" Orihime says. "I cooked some after the Tribal Council last night, and-"

"Oh no!" Ami shouts. "You used up the last of our rice last night!"

"I'm sorry!" Orihime cries. "I just wanted to make something to cheer me up after what happened!"

"Well, now there's none left for the rest of us!" Ami replies.

"Don't worry," Sango says. "There's probably a reward challenge coming up today, and it probably has food. We can win that and get some food."

"I wouldn't be so sure," a voice says.

The five players turn around to see Jet Black standing there.

"How do you do that?" Shinji asks.

"That's only for me to know," Jet responds. "Anyway, I just want to give you this note, and let you know that there will be no reward challenge today, but a combined reward and immunity challenge tomorrow evening."

"But we're starving!" Orihime yells. "We need food!"

"You should have rationed it out better," Jet replies, before exiting the house.

"Great, look what you did now!" Ami yells at Orihime.

"Look at what I did?" Orihime replies. "Wasn't it your tribe that wasted all this rice before I got here?"

Ami bristles at the comment, but Sasami steps in, trying to calm everybody down.

"Let's get along," Sasami says. "We're going to have to really work together to win the challenge, because we need that food."

"Sasami's right," Sango adds. "Whatever we do, we must win that challenge. Now what does that note say?"

Shinji takes out the note that Jet handed to him. "Here's what it says," he states.

"For immunity and food

You'll need balance and smarts

To put together a puzzle

And gather all its parts."

"So it's some sort of puzzle?" Ami asks. "This shouldn't be difficult."

"But there's some sort of balancing involved," Sango adds. "It's not going to be as easy as you think."

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

_"It's all my fault that Asuka is still around," Toshiro says. "She would be gone right now had I decided to throw the immunity challenge by getting that final question wrong, but I guess I am too competitive, and I wanted to win. Hopefully that doesn't come back to haunt us."_

The tribe is eating their lunch, when they are joined by an unwelcome visitor.

"Sesshomaru!" Toshiro exclaims. "You know I nearly killed you before. Have you come here for me to finish the job?"

"While I know that you would not be able to kill me, I am not here to fight," Sesshomaru replies. "Rather, I am here to call for a truce."

"What do you mean, a truce?" Toshiro asks, getting angrier.

"Calm down, Toshiro," Kagome tells him.

"Since I have allowed you to tread on my territory for so long, I think I deserve something in return," Sesshomaru explains. "It is only fair to pay rent to the one who owns the property you are staying on."

"You're being ridiculous," Temari says. "We're just here for a game."

"This is no game to me," Sesshomaru responds. "I think a payment in food would be fair."

"What?" Tenchi yells. "We can't give away our food."

"Then I suppose I'll have to kill you, one by one," Sesshomaru replies.

"As if," Toshiro says. "I'll kill you first."

"I didn't want to fight, but if you insist, I'll make sure you regret it," Sesshomaru states.

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold on!" Kagome exclaims. "Here, you can have some of the food I've got right here, Sesshomaru. I can go get you some more!"

"Kagome!" Toshiro shouts.

"Just wait a minute, I'll be right back!" Kagome shouts.

She rushes off to grab some more food to give to Sesshomaru, who stands there staring at Toshiro, looking quite satisfied.

"What are you doing?" Makoto asks.

"You'll understand soon enough," Kagome says, returning with some more food. "Here, take this!"

"Thank you," Sesshomaru says, taking the food off Kagome. "I guess that will be all."

He walks away, leaving the Seireitei players in shock. Toshiro, in particular, is quite angry.

"What did you do that for?" he yells at Kagome. "We're going to be running out of food soon!"

"I can't afford to have you get into a fight and get all exhausted before today's reward challenge," Kagome replies. "We lost the reward challenge the last time you fought him. This time, though, you won't be tired, and we can win the challenge today, which will probably give us the amount of food we just lost."

"I suppose you're right," Toshiro comments.

"I suppose you're wrong," a voice responds.

"Oh no, it's this stupid guy again," Asuka says, noticing Jet Black.

"There will be no reward challenge today," Jet tells the tribe members. "Instead, we will be having a combined reward and immunity challenge tomorrow. This note will explain it."

"But… why?" Toshiro asks, taking the note.

"Hey, we have our reasons," Jet replies. "See you!"

Jet takes off, leaving Toshiro quite upset about the turn of events.

"It figures it would happen this way," he mutters.

"What does the note say?" Makoto asks.

"Let's see… here it is," Toshiro says.

"For immunity and food

You'll need balance and smarts

To put together a puzzle

And gather all its parts."

"A puzzle? Balance?" Temari comments. "Seems pretty interesting."

"We should be able to win this one," Tenchi says. "All of us seem pretty good at puzzles."

"And we're all small enough to be able to balance well," Kagome adds. "Especially you, Toshiro."

"Why, you-" Toshiro yells at Kagome, while the rest of the tribe members laugh at his expense.

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Orihime, Sango)

_"Orihime and I are really in a pickle," Sango says. "If we don't win immunity, the other three are sure to vote out one of us. Our only hope in this game is to win immunity, or else one of us is gone."_

Midway through the afternoon, Ami calls all the players together. She stands next to Sasami and Shinji and addresses Orihime and Sango.

"As you know by now, Sasami, Shinji and I have an alliance," Ami states. "If we do not win immunity, we will be voting out one of you two. This is your chance to plead your case, so we can choose which one of you we will vote out."

Orihime gulps. "I guess I'll go first," she says.

"Why should we keep you?" a rather arrogant Ami asks.

"Well, let's see…" Orihime says thoughtfully, putting her finger on her mouth. "I'm a good cook, for one thing."

This causes Sango to almost blurt out laughing, but she holds her tongue.

"Also, I'm pretty good at challenges, I think," Orihime continues. "Yeah, I can help you a lot."

Ami looks at Shinji and Sasami, shaking her head. "Okay," she says, turning to Sango. "Tell us why you should stay."

"I am absolutely truthful," Sango says. "I will not lie to you, so you can count on my word. I will also do whatever I can to help around the camp."

"Okay, thank you," Ami responds. "We'll make our choice sometime later."

_"I want to throw this upcoming immunity challenge," Ami says. "If we do, we will vote out either Orihime or Sango, and then if we merge after this vote, we will have 6 former Jurai members to 4 former Seireitei members. In that case, we can pick them off one by one until there's only us original Jurai members left. The only problem is: we're starving… I don't know if I can convince Sasami and Shinji to throw it as well."_

Later, in the evening, Ami finds some time to talk to Sasami and Shinji in her room.

"I have something important to ask of you two," Ami states.

"I'm starving, Ami," Sasami replies.

"Me too," Shinji adds.

Ami gives both of them an annoyed look. "Isn't there any fruit outside?" she asks.

"We searched, but we only found a little bit, and Ryo-ohki immediately ate it," Sasami says.

_"That stupid cabbit again! It's going to ruin my plans," Ami says._

"Well, I was wondering if you would help me with something," Ami tells them.

"What's that?" Shinji asks.

"See, if we lose the next challenge, we can vote off either Orihime or Sango, and then we will have an advantage if our tribes merge," Ami replies. "I was wondering if you would help me lose the challenge on purpose."

"But the challenge is for food!" Sasami cries. "We need food, or we're going to starve!"

"Yeah, I'm too hungry," Shinji adds. "I want that food badly."

"But if you could just make it a few more days-" Ami states.

"I'm starving, Ami!" Sasami cries, with tears forming in her eyes.

"Okay, okay, never mind then," Ami responds.

_"If they could only think about something other than their stomachs, they'd realize that we have a golden opportunity here," Ami says._

Shinji and Sasami go off into Sasami's room, where they play with Ryo-ohki.

"Why does Ami want us to go hungry?" Sasami asks Shinji.

"I think she's thinking too much about strategy in the game," Shinji answers. "She has to realize that there are things more important than the game itself."

_"I am such a hypocrite, saying that there are things more important than the game," Shinji says. "Like Misato, Ayanami, and my world…"_

Sasami looks sad. "Poor Ryo-ohki is so hungry," she states. "We have to win that challenge, we just have to!"

"What if Ami decides not to help us, and we lose?" Shinji asks.

"We may have to vote _her _out," Sasami replies.

"Don't tell her this," Shinji says.

_"I like Ami, but if she wants to starve us, we're going to have to vote her out," Sasami says._

Sango and Orihime, meanwhile, are talking about their own strategy.

"Orihime, we're entirely at their mercy," Sango tells her. "What are we going to do?"

"We just need to win!" Orihime replies cheerfully.

"But what if we lose?" Sango asks.

Orihime looks down sadly. "I didn't think of that," she mutters.

"Well, I have an idea," Sango says. "We will have to talk one of them into voting against their own alliance. And I think I know exactly who."

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

Makoto and Tenchi come walking into the log cabin, where they see Kagome sitting by herself. They immediately wonder where Toshiro is, as he is usually with Kagome.

"Where's the pipsqueak?" Makoto asks.

"Oh, he went off looking for something," Kagome replies. "He said he can't get something off his mind."

Toshiro, meanwhile, is walking through the woods, hunting for Sesshomaru.

_"This time, I'm going to finish what I started last time,"_ _Toshiro says. "I'm going to kill that Sesshomaru once and for all."_

He pauses, thinking about what he just said.

_"And after this game, I'll be joining Squad 11, because I've become as bloodthirsty as those crazies," he adds._

He continues into the woods, when he is met by Jaken.

"Have you come looking for Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken asks.

"Why, yes, I have," Toshiro says, behind gritted teeth.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken calls, running away for a moment. About a couple minutes later, Jaken comes back with Sesshomaru, who looks quite annoyed.

"What do you want?" Sesshomaru asks Toshiro.

"I've come to finish off our quarrel once and for all," Toshiro says, drawing his zanpakuto.

"Very well, then," Sesshomaru replies, drawing Tokijin.

The two swords clash, as the Soul Reaper and dog demon begin to fight. Toshiro is immediately surprised to find how much stronger Sesshomaru has become since the last battle.

"You've been training, I see," Toshiro comments.

Sesshomaru begins to gain the upper hand on Toshiro, who finds himself totally on the defensive. He wants to use his Bankai, but he decides to bide his time before using it. This, however, allows Sesshomaru to gain more and more on Toshiro, exhausting the Soul Reaper.

"Having trouble?" Sesshomaru asks.

"Not at all," Toshiro grunts. "Bankai!"

As Toshiro uses his Bankai, ice wings and a tail appear on him, and he begins gaining ground on Sesshomaru. Ice begins to strike Sesshomaru, who gets visibly annoyed with his opponent. As Toshiro looks like he is about to gain the advantage on Sesshomaru, the demon drops his Tensaiga, and begins to show his full demon power. His slashes become more severe, and he is able to fight on even ground with Toshiro's Bankai.

Meanwhile, after a little bit of wondering where Toshiro could have gone, Kagome figures it out.

"He went to fight Sesshomaru!" she screams.

She goes racing towards the woods, with Makoto and Tenchi following behind her.

"What's going on?" Asuka asks.

"Toshiro is going to get himself hurt!" Kagome cries.

"Oh, so what? If he's that stupid, he deserves it!" Asuka says.

She then thinks about it for a moment.

"But I wouldn't mind seeing this battle," she adds, chasing after the other three.

Temari also sees the players running towards the woods, and she joins them. All five of them arrive at the location of the battle, seeing an utterly shocking sight. Kagome lets out an ear-piercing scream.

"Toshiro!!"

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Orihime, Sango)

Sango and Orihime see Sasami playing with Ryo-ohki in her room by herself, and they walk in.

"Yes?" Sasami asks.

"We have something to talk to you about," Sango states.

Sasami looks a little concerned, but seeing Orihime's smile makes her feel a little better.

"Don't worry!" Orihime says in her usual cheerful mood. "We just want to help you!"

"Yes," Sango adds. "See, we really think that Ami is just using you for her own good, and she doesn't really care about you."

Sasami nods her head. "You may be right," she says. "She told Shinji and me to throw the challenge so we could vote one of you out. We don't want to do that because we're hungry."

Sango gives Orihime a nervous look. "She wants to throw the challenge? Is that even allowed?" Sango asks.

Orihime shrugs her shoulders.

"Sasami, you can't let her do this to you," Sango tells Sasami. "If she wants to starve you just so she can go farther in this game, that's wrong. You have to turn on her and vote her out, if we don't win."

"Okay," Sasami says.

That night, however, Sasami goes to talk to Ami, alone.

"Ami," she says, "we need to talk."

"What is it, Sasami?" Ami asks.

"Orihime and Sango want me to turn on you," Sasami replies.

"Well, they're desperate," Ami explains. "They have no other option."

"I'm very hungry, Ami," Sasami says. "I want to be on your side, but I can't go much longer without eating. You have to promise me that you'll try your best in the challenge… or else I'll have to join them."

"Okay, Sasami," Ami responds. "I promise you… I will help us win that reward… and then we can enjoy the food together!"

"Yay!" Sasami exclaims. "I knew I could count on you, Ami!"

_"This is certainly unexpected," Ami says. "Sasami, ready to turn on me? I know I voted against her in the first vote, but she probably forgets that by now… I guess I'll have to forego the strategy of throwing the challenge, in order to keep Sasami on my side."_

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

The five other members of the Seireitei tribe are standing over Toshiro, who is lying on the ground, looking pretty bad. Sesshomaru is also standing nearby, now holding onto his Tensaiga, and watching the players intently.

"Why did you do this to him?" Kagome yells at Sesshomaru. "Why?"

"He attacked me," Sesshomaru responds. "I had to defend myself."

"Toshiro, are you going to be all right?" Kagome asks him.

"My Bankai…" Toshiro mutters weakly. "It was broken…"

Sesshomaru begins to walk away, but Asuka stops him.

"Where do you think you're going?" she yells. "You're the one who caused this mess!"

"Excuse me, but I have no time to waste on humans," Sesshomaru replies, beginning to walk away again.

"Don't you care if he dies or not?" Temari asks. "He let you survive, now you're going to let him die?"

"That is of no concern to me," Sesshomaru answers, and he walks off into the woods.

Makoto motions to Tenchi. "Come on, we've got to help him back to camp," she tells him.

Kagome turns to Toshiro. "Are you going to be all right?" she asks him.

"I've survived worse," he replies. "I'll make it."

Tenchi and Makoto pick up Toshiro and carry him back to camp, where all the tribe members try to comfort the injured Soul Reaper through the night.

Day 17

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

Kagome is looking very concerned about Toshiro, looking at his wounds and seeing how bad they are.

"Toshiro, I'm really worried," she says. "Someone as small as you may not be able to survive such injuries."

Toshiro's face immediately lights up with annoyance. "Who are you calling small?" he asks, getting Kagome to laugh.

"You're still full of energy," she replies. "That's good to see."

Toshiro sighs. "I'm going to be all right," he says. "I'll just sit out today's challenge, since we have an extra member anyway."

He then tries sitting up, but as he does, he groans in pain.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asks.

Toshiro punches the ground in frustration. "I can't get up," he mutters.

"This is serious," Kagome replies. "We've got to get the medics in here!"

"No, please, don't," Toshiro says.

"It's for your own good," Kagome responds. "I'll be right back."

Toshiro sighs again. How embarrassing this was to be a Captain, needing medical attention because of a fight against some opponent who had no spiritual pressure!

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Orihime, Sango)

"Is it time yet?" Sasami asks Ami.

"No, Sasami, we still have several hours until the challenge," Ami replies.

"But I'm starving!" Sasami cries.

"Me too," Ami responds. "But I can't do anything about it. You just make sure you're ready to help us win!"

"Okay," Sasami replies.

She walks into another room, to see Shinji sitting with his arms crossed and his head down.

"What's the matter, Shinji?" she asks.

"I'm worthless," he says. "I'm scum."

"No you're not," Sasami replies. "And why would you get that in your mind anyway?"

"Every time I see Orihime and Sango, I think about how I lied, just in order to go farther in this game," he explains. "And then I think about how I betrayed Misato… and Ayanami… I'm useless."

Sasami begins patting his shoulder. "Cheer up," she tells him. "You're probably just hungry… we'll have food soon!"

Shinji sighs. "I hope so," he mutters. "Although, I wonder, do I even deserve food?"

_"Poor Shinji," Sasami says. "He must be going crazy from not eating… he's talking like he hates himself or something. I'm sure that's not the case, the lack of food just must be getting to him."_

Orihime and Sango, meanwhile, have been outside since morning, trying to find fruit. Unfortunately for them, most of the fruit that was nearby at the start of the game has either been picked by the tribe members or eaten by Ryo-ohki, and thus they have a very difficult time finding any. However, each of them do find a couple apples quite a long distance from their camp, and they wonder what to do with them.

"Should we give these to the other members of our tribe, or eat them ourselves?" Orihime asks.

"I have an idea," Sango replies.

The two girls arrive back in the house holding their four apples. "We have food!" Sango yells.

Immediately Sasami comes running downstairs to meet them. Ami and Shinji soon follow.

"We have four apples," Sango says. "Now I think it's fair that each of us who looked for the apples gets one… and we'll give out the other two to whoever promises not to vote us out in the next vote."

Sasami snatches one of the apples off Sango. "I promise!" she exclaims, beginning to eat the apple.

"How about you two?" Sango asks.

Shinji looks at Ami, who is not budging. "I do not need to eat now," she says. "I am keeping my alliance, no matter how much food you offer."

"What about you, Shinji?" Sango asks.

Shinji is torn up inside- again. This time it's about whether to accept an apple in exchange for either turning on a friend (Ami) or lying (to Sango and Orihime).

"I won't vote out either of you two," Shinji says.

"Then here's your apple," Orihime responds, handing him the apple.

Shinji bites into the apple, only to find it rotten inside.

_"Is this a sign?" Shinji says. "I keep getting myself deeper and deeper in trouble… soon everyone in this game will hate me. I'm just like Adam, getting tempted with a fruit… and why does that name Adam sound familiar?"_

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

Jet Black and Survivor: Feudal Japan medical assistant, Captain of Squad 4 Retsu Unohana, arrive at the Seireitei camp, to check on the injured Toshiro Hitsugaya. Retsu begins looking at Toshiro's wounds, and she looks quite nervous.

"Captain Hitsugaya," she says, "I'm afraid your wounds are quite severe."

"That's why I'm glad you're here, Captain Unohana," Toshiro replies. "You can easily heal these wounds with your zanpakuto."

"Not so fast," Jet breaks in. "If we had Captain Unohana going around healing everyone in this game, there would be no challenge of survival. Unfortunately, Hitsugaya, Captain Unohana is not allowed to give you full healing, unless you choose to leave the game."

Retsu gives Toshiro a sad look. "Captain Hitsugaya, I'm really sorry, but I have to tell you this," she says. "Your injuries are potentially fatal- you need to leave the game."

Toshiro gives a heavy sigh, while his tribe members look on nervously. Kagome has tears in her eyes. "Why can't you help him just a little?" she asks.

"Sorry, it's the rules of the game," Jet answers.

Toshiro looks at his own wounds, feeling pain as he tries to sit up. Once he finally manages to sit up, he looks over at his teammates, then over at Jet and Retsu.

"I don't have a choice," Toshiro says, as his fellow tribe members look on sadly.

"Come on, let's go," Retsu replies.

"I'm staying in the game," Toshiro states.

"What was that?" Jet asks.

"I'm staying in this game, no matter how badly I'm injured," Toshiro replies.

"Toshiro, you could die," Kagome tells him. "Please, don't put your life at risk, just for the sake of a game… I care about you."

"Thanks, Kagome," Toshiro replies. "But no Soul Reaper, especially not a captain, gives up after losing a sword fight. I wouldn't deserve to be called a captain if injuries forced me to quit this game."

"Captain Hitsugaya, your wounds are potentially fatal!" Retsu pleads. "If you don't get healed, you're going to die!"

"Send my best wishes to Momo, then," Toshiro says. "Because I didn't enter this game just to quit."

Retsu looks ready to cry, but Jet grabs her hand. "Let's go," he tells her. "This is his decision. We can't do anything about it."

Jet and Retsu walk away, while the rest of the tribe members look at Toshiro in utter shock.

"I hope you'll be all right," Kagome says.

She then bends over and kisses him on the cheek, to everyone's surprise.

"Get well soon… for me," she adds.

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Orihime, Sango)

"Is it time for the challenge yet?" Sasami asks Ami.

"No, Sasami, there's still about an hour to go!" Ami replies, quite angrily. "That's the fifth time you've asked today!"

_"Poor Ami, she must be going nuts because she hasn't eaten," Sasami says. "Maybe I should have offered her part of my apple…"_

Shinji, meanwhile, sits in the corner of his room, with his head down and his arms crossed, in one of his typical self-loathing moments.

"What am I good for?" he asks. "I'm a liar, a traitor, a scaredy-cat. I don't deserve to win this game. I don't deserve to have any friends. I don't deserve to be loved. I'm scum."

Orihime overhears Shinji, and she comes running into his room.

"Shinji!" she exclaims. "Don't talk like that! You're not anything like that!"

"Orihime!" Shinji says. "I lied to you, I probably cost you your chance at winning this game! You should hate me!"

"Nonsense," Orihime replies, putting her arms around him. "It's all just a game, remember?"

Shinji sighs. "I guess," he mutters.

_"Poor Shinji… he's so hard on himself," Orihime says. "Even I'm not upset about what he did, and I'm one of the ones who is most affected."_

Reward/Immunity Challenge

The time finally comes for the combined reward and immunity challenge, and both tribes arrive at the site of the challenge, with Tenchi and Makoto carrying the injured Toshiro.

"Come on in, guys!" Jet yells.

The players slowly filter in, seeing the layout of the challenge, which is made up of two large seesaw-like balance beams in the middle of a lake.

"Seireitei, this is your first look at the new Jurai tribe," Jet announces. "Edward Elric, voted out last Tribal Council."

Temari has already noticed this, and she gives a look of dismay, as Ed had been her closest ally in the game.

"First, I need back the immunity plushie," Jet says.

Makoto tosses Kon to Jet, who then announces, "Immunity is back up for grabs!"

The players look at Jet intently, waiting for him to tell them how the challenge is going to be played.

"As you can see, this challenge involves some balancing," Jet explains. "On my go, your tribe will stand on those balance beams, which swing back and forth, according to which side has more weight on it. On one side of the beams is a pile of puzzle pieces, and on the other side is where you will place the pieces, as you try to solve the puzzle. Your team will have to manage to stay balanced, while rocking the beam back and forth, in order to grab the puzzle pieces, then to put together the puzzle. If anyone falls off, that person must get back on the balance beam before the team can continue putting together the puzzle. The first team wins immunity- as well as a reward! Want to know what you're playing for?"

"Yeah!" the players yell.

"All right, we have a large collection of food, including steaks, chicken, rice, and lots of other treats, which should last your team a couple days," Jet says. "Worth playing for?"

"Absolutely!" Sasami screams.

"All right," Jet replies. "First, Seireitei, you've got one extra member, you've got to sit someone out. Who's it gonna be?"

"Toshiro's going to sit out," Kagome answers immediately. The Jurai tribe members notice that Toshiro has very visible wounds, and that he has not stood up at all since he has arrived, so they all figure something must have happened.

"Okay, the rest of you, get to the balance beams, and wait for my go," Jet says.

The players line up at the balance beams, ready to board them.

"For immunity and reward!" Jet announces. "Survivors ready? Go!"

The players board the beams, with Sasami and Temari leading the way for their respective tribes, and the others following them, one-by-one. Once all the players are aboard their beams, they begin to realize how difficult it is not just to stay on the beams, but to tilt them in the direction they choose.

Sasami finds herself barely hanging onto the beam as her teammates tip it towards the puzzle pieces. Then her Jurai teammates crawl up the beam, tipping it towards the other side. They tip it in such a fashion that the beam comes crashing down, with Sasami falling off the beam as it does.

"Sasami, you've got to get back on the other side of the beam!" Jet yells.

Sasami rushes to get back on the beam. Meanwhile, the Seireitei players struggle in their own way, as they keep on wiggling slowly back and forth on the beam, trying to get it to tilt as slightly as possible, in order to avoid what happened with Jurai. They pass the first puzzle piece from player to player, with Temari then placing it where the puzzle pieces are to be put together.

Jurai hurries to catch up, as Sasami gets on the beam. The players pass the puzzle piece down to Ami, who is now on the end, and she puts the first puzzle piece in. Sasami realizes that there are six puzzle pieces, and the picture on them seems to resemble a certain person's face…

"One puzzle piece for both tribes!" Jet announces. "Five to go for each of them!"

The Jurai players quickly try to tip the balance beam back towards Sasami, but they do it too quickly, sending her crashing into the puzzle pieces. She stumbles to get back on the beam, handing the puzzle piece to Shinji, who continues sending it down the line of players. The Seireitei tribe is even with them, as they go pretty slowly, and both teams get their second puzzle piece in its place.

"Both tribes taking their time, trying to figure out the best way of balancing on those beams," Jet says.

The Seireitei tribe's patient way of slowly tilting the beam back and forth seems to be working, as they are able to get the next couple of puzzle pieces into place pretty easily. The Jurai tribe is not having as easy of a time.

"Jurai, continuing to have some trouble tilting the beam correctly," Jet says.

Jurai has fallen behind by about one full puzzle piece at this point, with Seireitei working on their fifth piece while Jurai is trying to get the fourth into place. After Seireitei puts in their fifth piece, Temari slips and falls off the beam.

"Temari! Back to the other side of the beam!" Jet yells.

This gives Jurai an opportunity to come back, collecting their fifth puzzle piece and putting into place. Sasami and Temari then grab their teams' sixth and final puzzle pieces at the same exact time, and begin passing them down the line of players. Jurai takes the risk of tilting the beam faster than the Seireitei players, and their risk works, as Ami is able to get the final puzzle piece in place well before Makoto does for Seireitei.

"Jurai wins immunity and reward!" Jet exclaims.

The Jurai players all jump off the beam at once, celebrating with each other. Sasami is absolutely ecstatic about her team's victory.

"Food!" she screams, running over to Jet Black and glomping him. Jet only laughs.

"Seireitei, I got nothing for you. You can head back to camp, I'll be seeing you tomorrow for Tribal," Jet tells the disappointed Seireitei players.

The Jurai players, meanwhile, gather around Jet, waiting for their food.

"I know what you want, and it's going to be waiting for you back at your camp," Jet says. "Here's something else you might want."

He tosses Kon to Orihime.

"You are immune from the next Tribal Council," Jet tells the Jurai tribe. "Congratulations."

Orihime squeezes Kon tightly, as always.

_Oh, Orihime!_ Kon thinks.

The Jurai tribe heads back to camp in celebration, while Makoto and Tenchi carry back the injured Toshiro to camp, followed by the rest of their tribe members.

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Orihime, Sango)

"Yes!" Sasami screams, upon seeing the large table of food that is right outside the front door of their house.

"Now, now, let's not eat too much," Ami states. "We don't want to run out again."

Her words go unheeded, as the other tribe members rush to stuff their faces in the food. Fortunately for them, there is enough of it that it should last another day.

"Hey, did you guys notice Toshiro?" Orihime asks.

"You mean the white-haired pipsqueak?" Shinji says. "Yeah, he looked kind of hurt."

"I hope nothing bad happened to him," Sango adds. "I have a feeling he's going to be the one they vote out, if his injuries are that severe."

_"I really hope he stays," Sango says. "We desperately need to have the merge, with five members of the original Seireitei, so we stand some chance against this Jurai alliance… then we could get Shinji out of the game… but if he goes, we're probably through."_

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

_"That was an extremely frustrating loss," Makoto says. "We came so close to winning, yet we couldn't finish it, and now we're going to vote someone out. And right now, I have no idea who we're voting for."_

As the players eat a meal late that night, Kagome checks out Toshiro's wounds. She sees how bad they are, and she feels quite concerned. She talks to him privately.

"How are you feeling?" she asks him.

"Not great, but I'll survive," he responds.

"If you're in a lot of pain, and you don't think you can make it that much farther, you can always ask us to vote you out," Kagome tells him. "That way, you wouldn't have to say you quit the game, but that you were voted out."

"No, I'm not in that much pain," Toshiro replies. "I'm in this game for the long haul. And I already know who we should vote out in this upcoming vote."

Meanwhile, feeling very vulnerable, Temari begins hatching a plan, which she hopes will pull her through this vote.

_"Tomorrow should be a very interesting day indeed…" Temari says._

Day 18

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

That morning, Makoto begins talking with Tenchi about who they should vote out.

"Right now, we're the power in this tribe," she tells him. "There's Toshiro and Kagome in their alliance, and then there's Asuka and Temari, separate. They're not going to work together, so in order to vote anyone out, they've got to go through us. We can choose who we want to vote out."

"Uh, sure," Tenchi says, scratching his head. "But who?"

"For one thing, we could vote out Asuka," Makoto suggests. "She's very annoying."

"But she would also team up with us if we need her vote later," Tenchi replies. "We may not want to be rid of her just yet."

"True," Makoto says. "Then there's Toshiro, who's hurt. If the merge is coming soon, we might want to keep him around, because he can't win any challenges like that."

"Yeah, I guess," Tenchi responds. "What about Kagome?"

"She's a possible target," Makoto says. "I'm thinking either her or Temari, because I don't trust Temari at all."

Meanwhile, Temari goes to work on her plan. She goes over to talk to Toshiro and Kagome in the log cabin.

"We need to work together," she tells them. "If we go into the merge with fewer of us former Seireitei members than former Jurai members, we're going to be picked off one by one."

"That makes sense," Kagome replies. "But who are we going to vote off?"

"I think we go after Asuka," Temari says. "She's the most annoying one."

"Actually, I was already planning to vote her out," Toshiro responds. "So I'm all for that."

"Okay," Temari replies. "And you know what, it shouldn't be hard getting that couple to vote out Asuka as well, because they're annoyed with her too."

"Good thinking," Kagome states.

She leaves the log cabin and heads off to talk to Makoto and Tenchi.

_"Time for part two of my plan," Temari says._

"Hey, Temari," Tenchi says, seeing Temari walk over to them. "What do you want to talk about?"

"It's about you two, in particular," Temari replies. "You see, I just talked with Toshiro and Kagome, and they want me as part of their alliance, because we were part of the original Seireitei tribe."

"Understandable," Makoto says.

"Here's the problem," Temari continues. "I'd like to vote out Asuka, but they refuse; they think that one of you is a bigger risk than her. So, I was thinking of turning on them and voting out Kagome."

Makoto and Tenchi look at each other, thinking about the situation. Then Makoto turns back to Temari.

"That makes sense," Makoto says. "If we could then just get Asuka with us, we could get out Kagome."

"I'll make sure of that," Temari replies.

She leaves the couple and heads back to the woods, where she sees Asuka sitting around with nothing to do.

_"And now, time for part three," Temari says._

"Everything is set up for Kagome to go tonight," Temari tells Asuka.

"What, do you think everyone on this tribe is dense?" Asuka asks with annoyance. "They probably all want to vote off me. I can see the way they act towards me. They know they're not as good as me, so they want to get rid of me."

"Trust me, you will not go home tonight," Temari replies.

"I hope you're right," Asuka states.

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Orihime, Sango)

The tribe is a lot happier after being able to eat a lot of food. Shinji has snapped out of his depression, Ami is no longer feeling as moody, and Sasami is no longer whining. This of course leads to them becoming closer as an alliance.

"We've got to stick together, whether we merge or not," Ami states. "It's got to be the three of us voting the same way."

"I understand, Ami," Sasami says. "This is what we wanted, after Shinji managed to trick the others last vote."

"I really hope Asuka doesn't go tonight," Shinji states.

"Why not?" Sasami asks. "I thought you planned on voting her out."

"I did, but she's also a friend," Shinji answers. "I just don't want her to use me only for her purposes."

Orihime and Sango are also talking about the upcoming vote, which they have no control over, but wish they did.

"Our only remaining hope in this game is for the merge to occur after this vote," Sango states. "And we would need Toshiro, Kagome and Temari all to survive this vote, so we could have five of us against five of the original Jurai players."

"But what if one of them gets voted out?" Orihime asks.

"Then we're pretty much through," Sango replies. "It would take a miracle for us to survive much longer after that."

Orihime frowns. She of course does not like pessimistic talk.

_"What about those promises Sasami and Shinji made to us? I'm sure everything will be all right, and we'll stay a lot longer than Sango thinks," Orihime says._

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome, Temari)

_"This is a nice position to be in," Tenchi says. "Everyone comes to us asking for our votes. We're basically the glue that holds this tribe together. Makoto and I can choose who we want to go. Right now, it seems pretty clear to me who that's going to be."_

While Tenchi and Makoto are feeling pretty good, Toshiro is not, and Kagome is quite concerned.

"Your injuries… they seem to be getting worse," Kagome says worriedly. "Are you going to even be able to make it past tonight?"

"Kagome, I'll be fine," Toshiro replies. "It's just going to take some time to heal… but a Soul Reaper like me should be able to make it."

"Should?" Kagome exclaims. "If it's such a risk, it's not worth it! You mean too much to me to be risking your life over a game."

"Kagome, I'm staying in this game because I want to help you… if I'm out, you're next to go," Toshiro replies.

"I'm not that important," Kagome says. "You need to go get healed, and make sure you're all right."

Toshiro sighs. "But that would mean…" he mutters, "leaving you behind."

Kagome smiles at Toshiro. "Well, I don't really want to leave you either," she replies.

The two forget about their loved ones for a moment, and suddenly, find themselves with locked lips.

"Hey, what stupid stuff is going on here?" Asuka shouts, seeing Toshiro and Kagome kissing.

Toshiro and Kagome back off in a hurry, looking at each other with shock.

"Uh, nothing," Kagome says, feeling quite embarrassed.

"You two are in love!" Asuka exclaims. "Wait till I tell everyone about this!"

Asuka runs out of the log cabin, leaving Toshiro furious.

"Why, that Asuka… I can't wait to take her out," Toshiro says.

Toshiro and Kagome then look at each other, give each other smiles, although both feeling quite guilty over their kiss.

_"Well, InuYasha still likes Kikyo… can he blame me for liking someone else?" Kagome says._

_"Sorry, Momo…" Toshiro says. "Guess I got a little carried away there…"_

Later in the day, Kagome walks over to talk to Tenchi and Makoto.

"Did Asuka tell you about… something?" she asks.

"Oh, we know all about it," Makoto replies, causing Kagome's face to turn redder than an apple.

"Well, isn't she annoying?" Kagome asks. "Toshiro and I are definitely voting her out tonight."

Tenchi gives Makoto a confused look. "Wait a minute," he says. "Temari told us you two are teaming up with her to go after one of us two, and that you want to keep Asuka around."

"Not at all!" Kagome exclaims. "Temari said she wanted to vote out Asuka herself."

"Something's fishy here," Makoto comments.

"_And tonight, the fish is going to be caught," Makoto says._

Tribal Council

The six players venture into the Tribal Council with their torches ablaze (with Toshiro being carried by Makoto and Tenchi). Each sets down his or her torch and takes a seat across from host Jet Black.

"It's a shame to see you guys here," Jet comments. "First, I'm sure the biggest topic around camp has been Hitsugaya and his wounds. How are you feeling now, Toshiro?"

"Still not too great," Toshiro replies. "But I'm still in this game for the long haul; I'm not giving up."

"Has the thought of Toshiro's injury caused you to change your voting strategies, Asuka?" Jet asks.

"Of course I have to think about it in some way," Asuka replies. "Do you think I'm stupid? Ultimately, you have to make your vote decision based on something, whether that is injuries or alliances or the way you've been treated."

"Speaking of alliances, do you think there is any real power in this tribe, Makoto?" Jet asks.

"Well, I think we'd all like to think we're in power," Makoto answers. "But in reality, you don't really know if you're in power until the votes are read."

Jet grins. "It looks like I'm not going to get many straight answers out of you guys," he comments. "So I'll ask a simple yes or no question: Kagome, was that your first kiss?"

Kagome's face turns bright red, and Toshiro blushes as well, while the rest of the tribe begins to laugh.

"Yes," she mumbles, covering her face with her hands.

"And as for you, Toshiro?" Jet asks.

"Mmmmmph…" Toshiro mumbles.

"What was that, I couldn't quite hear you?" Jet continues.

"Yes, all right?" Toshiro snaps. "But don't let Momo know about it!"

Jet laughs. "Just hope Momo doesn't choose to watch this episode," he replies. "Okay, so it's time to vote. Asuka, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Asuka gets up from her seat.

Asuka goes to vote.

_"I'm voting off that stupid Kagome," Asuka says. "I don't care about your romance, you've got to go!"_

Kagome goes to vote.

_"Asuka, I'm sorry, but you've been quite annoying, and this is part of our alliance strategy," Kagome says._

Makoto goes to vote.

Temari goes to vote.

Tenchi goes to vote.

Toshiro, given temporary crutches by Jet Black, goes to vote.

After Toshiro comes back from voting, Jet Black says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet gathers the votes, rearranges them, and then returns to the players.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet announces. "I'll read the votes. The first vote goes to… Kagome."

Kagome gives a nervous look.

"Second vote," Jet says. "Asuka."

Asuka has her arms crossed, giving the impression that she does not care.

"Our third vote goes to Asuka," Jet states. "That's two votes Asuka, one vote Kagome."

Asuka continues to show her nonchalant attitude.

"Kagome," Jet says, pulling out the fourth vote. "Two votes Kagome, two votes Asuka."

He pulls out the fifth vote.

"Temari," Jet announces. "Two votes Kagome, two votes Asuka, one vote Temari, one vote left."

He pulls out the final vote, opening it very slowly.

"Temari," Jet says, much to Temari's shock. "We have a three-way tie, so we will revote. Temari, Kagome, Asuka- all of you will not take place in this revote. However, I will give each of you a chance to tell the other half of the tribe why you should not be voted out. You first, Temari."

"I am the least threat to any of you," Temari says. "I am willing to join any alliance. Plus, this is the perfect chance to get Asuka out of this game. I know you want to!"

"As for you, Kagome?" Jet says.

"I have been perfectly honest with everyone in this tribe, unlike someone else," Kagome states. "You run the risk of being backstabbed if you keep a lying player in this game."

"And you, Asuka," Jet says.

"I'm Asuka Langley Soryu!" Asuka exclaims. "Isn't that enough reason to keep me around?"

"Okay, it's time to revote," Jet states. "Makoto, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Makoto gets up to vote.

Makoto goes to vote.

Tenchi goes to vote.

Toshiro, still using the temporary crutches given him by Jet Black, goes to vote.

_"I'm still voting for you, Asuka," Toshiro says. "You're annoying, and that last statement of yours didn't help your cause at all."_

After Toshiro comes back from voting, Jet says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet gathers the votes, then returns to the players. "Again, once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted off will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," he explains. "I'll read the votes. The first vote goes to… Asuka."

Asuka sits with her arms crossed, looking quite annoyed.

Jet pulls out the next vote and opens it up very slowly.

"Temari," he reads it. "One vote Asuka, one vote Temari, one vote left."

Jet pulls out the final vote, opening it up slower than ever.

"Sixth person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan," Jet announces.

He then gives a long pause.

"Temari," Jet states. "You need to bring me your torch."

Temari gets up with annoyance, upset that her plan either backfired or failed to work. She grabs her torch, then holds it out in front of Jet Black.

"Temari, the tribe has spoken," Jet says.

Jet then snuffs out her torch with his snuffer. "It's time for you to go," he tells her.

Temari hops into the Bone-Eater's Well, leaving behind the five remaining players.

"This has certainly been a bizarre last three days for your tribe," Jet says. "You've seen one player get severely injured, a couple people share their first kiss, and you seemed to be totally divided on who to vote out. All I can say is, it's going to get even stranger from here. You can head back to camp."

The five remaining players take their torches and head back to camp, with Makoto and Tenchi still carrying Toshiro.

_"I never fit in this game, at all," Temari says. "I was on the outside from Day 1. I made a mini-alliance, but even they weren't that close to me. I think I had a big disadvantage by not being close to anyone coming into the game. I guess I should be glad I made it this far."_

(Who voted for whom:

Asuka- Kagome

Kagome- Asuka

Makoto- Temari, Temari

Temari- Kagome

Tenchi- Temari, Temari

Toshiro- Asuka, Asuka)

Scenes from our next episode:

_The tribes are merged:_

"Today is a very important day in this game," Jet announces. "As of now, you are no longer the Jurai tribe and Seireitei tribe, but you are officially merged together, as the Hakurei tribe!"

_Asuka has an important announcement to make:_

"I hate you!" Asuka screams. "I hate every single one of you! I hate you, Sasami, I hate you, Tenchi, I hate you, Makoto, I hate you, Wonder Girl 2, I hate you, pipsqueak, I hate you, girlfriend of the pipsqueak, I hate you, boomerang girl, I hate you, stupid girl, and I really, really hate you, Shinji!"

_And will the immunity challenge ever end?:_

The challenge reaches twelve hours. Jet takes a sip from a cup of coffee while watching the players still standing on their stumps.


	7. A New Game: Days 19, 20, 21

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, catching Toshiro and Kagome kissing

Shinji Ikari, sitting his room feeling depressed

Makoto Kino, strategizing with Tenchi

Ami Mizuno, asking Sasami and Shinji to throw a challenge

Sasami, eating an apple

Tenchi Masaki, helping Makoto carry Toshiro

Orihime Inoue, gathering apples with Sango

Toshiro Hitsugaya, in severe pain after being defeated by Sesshomaru

Sango, offering apples to the other members of her tribe

Kagome Higurashi, kissing Toshiro

_A New Game_

Day 19

Seireitei Tribe

(Asuka, Makoto, Tenchi, Toshiro, Kagome)

That morning, Kagome pulls Toshiro aside, for a private conversation.

"What happened yesterday must remain a secret," Kagome tells him. "Sango can't know, Orihime can't know… no one may know."

"I totally agree," Toshiro replies. "Besides, you know it could never work out between the two of us. I mean, I live in the Soul Society, and you live here."

"Exactly," Kagome agrees. "That was only a one-time thing, and it will never happen again."

The two of them then stare into each other's eyes. In an instant, they find themselves kissing each other again.

_"Who am I kidding?" Kagome says. "I think I like Toshiro."_

_"Momo… uh, yeah, I'm really sorry about this," Toshiro says. "Kagome is just more… mature."_

Makoto calls the rest of the tribe over to her and Tenchi, where they find her holding a piece of paper.

"This was delivered to us overnight," Makoto says. "It's a note telling us important information."

"What does it say?" Asuka asks.

"This is what it says," Makoto says, reading it.

"Gather all your belongings and follow this map

To the new place where you'll set up camp.

Your previous tribe name will be purged,

As both of the tribes are going to be merged."

"We're going to merge!" Kagome exclaims.

"I guess now is as good of a time as ever," Tenchi comments.

"Start gathering the food," Toshiro says. "There isn't much else to bring with us besides it."

The players begin collecting the food, with Makoto and Tenchi helping Toshiro walk, as he is beginning to feel a little better, but not well enough to walk on his own yet. Once they have gathered all the food, they begin following the map towards their destination.

Jurai Tribe

(Shinji, Sasami, Ami, Orihime, Sango)

Sasami is getting all excited over something. Her teammates rush over to her, trying to figure out what she is so excited about.

"What is it, Sasami?" Ami asks.

"We got a letter!" Sasami exclaims. "Here's what it says:

Gather all your belongings and follow this map

To the new place where you'll set up camp.

Your previous tribe name will be purged,

As both of the tribes are going to be merged."

"So we're going to merge," Sango says. "This should be interesting."

_"Yes!" Sango says. "Orihime and I were in a hopeless situation… but now, we have more of a chance… I only hope we have three allies when we get to our new tribe."_

"Come on, let's gather our food," Orihime tells her teammates.

The Jurai tribe packs up their food and begins following Ami, who leads them on the path marked by the map towards their new camp.

"Come on in, guys!" Jet Black says.

Both tribes are now on Mount Hakurei, as the maps have led them here, to this rough, rocky, dark mountain, where they are about 20 feet up the mountain. They see Jet standing there waiting for them, with a large table of food set out in front of him.

"First, I'll take back the immunity plushie," Jet states, and Orihime tosses Kon to him.

"Today is a very important day in this game," Jet announces. "As of now, you are no longer the Jurai tribe and Seireitei tribe, but you are officially merged together, as the Hakurei tribe!"

The players cheer upon hearing this.

"In addition," Jet continues, "every player in this game from this point forward will either be on the jury that decides the winner, or, if you make it far enough, as part of the final three players from which the jury will choose the champion."

More cheers come from the players when they hear this news.

"Finally," Jet says, "from this point in the game forward, you of course will no longer be playing for team immunity, but individual immunity. These are the Immunity Beads of Subjugation!"

He holds out a necklace, which looks identical to the necklace which InuYasha wears.

"The winner of immunity from now on will wear this necklace," Jet explains. "It does have a drawback to it- but we'll get to that later, at tomorrow's immunity challenge. For now, enjoy your meal, and get to know your new tribemates!"

Jet walks away, leaving the ten tribe members to begin conversing with each other.

"Let's eat!" Sasami exclaims, rushing over to the table of food.

The tribe members begin eating the feast of food, while greeting those in the tribe whom they have not met up to this point. Everyone seems to be getting along well, with no divisions between the tribes. On the surface, it is a nice and happy tribe.

A few hours later, the weather turns bad, as it begins to storm. Realizing that they have no shelter whatsoever, given the mountain is absolutely barren of plant life, some of the players begin to panic.

"Relax, everyone," Ami says. "There's an opening in this mountain… we can go inside."

The players follow Ami into the mountain, finding themselves in a dark, damp cave with bats flying around. It leads to a dead end, meaning that the players have little choice: sit in the cave, or sit in the rain. They choose to sit in the cave.

"I'm concerned," Kagome comments. "I know what evils have come out of this mountain… I only hope Naraku isn't here."

"Don't worry," Toshiro tells her. "I'm getting better, and I should be able to walk soon. You just stick by me… I'll protect you."

Sango raises her eyebrows at hearing this comment by Toshiro, as she had not been told by the Seireitei players about "the kiss."

"Thanks, Toshiro," Kagome replies, and without thinking, she slips her hand over to his and holds on to it.

"Uh, Kagome?" Sango asks.

"Yes, Sango?" Kagome replies.

"Are you… holding Toshiro's hand?" Sango questions.

Kagome and Toshiro quickly pull their hands away from each other, blushing heavily. "I didn't even know his hand was there!" Kagome says. "Why would I want to hold hands with that pipsqueak?"

"Yeah, Kagome and I have nothing between us- nothing!" Toshiro shouts.

"Okay…" a very suspicious Sango replies.

Orihime looks concerned at Toshiro's condition. "How did you get hurt, Toshiro?" she asks.

"Sesshomaru," Toshiro mutters.

"Sesshomaru? He came back?" Sango questions.

"Yeah, and I got sick of him, so I went out to find him and finish him off for good," Toshiro replies. "But apparently he had been training, and he was stronger than before… I still don't understand how my Bankai could be broken by someone with no spiritual pressure."

"Well, I can help you, Toshiro," Orihime says.

Orihime sends out the Shun Shun Rikka from her hairclips, and begins using their powers to heal Toshiro. She is not able to fully heal him, but at least help him feel better than he was before.

Meanwhile, Ami begins talking with Makoto, whispering to her in a corner of the cave.

"I'm glad to see we have the advantage over the Seireitei players," she tells them. "We've got to take them out, one by one."

"I agree," Makoto whispers back. "But we've got to try to make them feel comfortable, or they may try getting Asuka on their side."

"Asuka," Ami mutters. "That gives me a better idea."

Before Ami can execute her plan, the storm abates, allowing the players to exit the cave and go back outside.

"We need to build some sort of shelter, before this happens again," Tenchi states.

"But how? There are no plants anywhere on this mountain," Shinji responds.

"There are some trees located at the base of the mountain," Tenchi says. "We can gather some branches from there, then bring them up here."

"Good idea," Makoto says. "I'll help you, Tenchi."

"I'd love to," Toshiro adds, "but I'm still in too much pain."

"It's okay," Kagome replies. "You rest. I'll help them out."

Tenchi, Makoto, Kagome, Orihime and Sango go to collect branches and logs in order to build a shelter for the tribe. In the meantime, Shinji begins to talk to Asuka.

"Asuka… um, well, there's a problem," Shinji comments.

"What is it, Shinji?" Asuka asks. "Just spit it out!"

"Well, it's that…" Shinji says, gulping. "It's, um-"

"Say it, stupid!" Asuka yells.

"The Angels are back!" Shinji exclaims. "Misato told me when she came to our tribe!"

"So what? Wonder Girl can handle them herself," Asuka replies. "I'm sure she's basking in the glory of currently being the top Eva pilot."

"But what if… what if she-" Shinji stutters.

"Oh, don't tell me you're worried about her, Shinji!" Asuka exclaims. "Come on, you've got to forget about your little crush on her and play this game!"

Shinji sighs. Now he realizes what he did not miss about being around Asuka… he certainly was not getting any sympathy from her.

"Now listen Shinji," Asuka says. "We're voting for that blue-haired genius girl."

"Ami?" Shinji replies. "But she's in my alliance!"

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka says. "You made an alliance with _her_? You're so dense, Shinji! She hates me, and probably you too! She's just like Ayanami… oh, maybe that's why you made an alliance with her! But she'll be sure to vote both of us out, as soon as she can."

"You really think so, Asuka?" Shinji asks.

"Of course, stupid!" Asuka answers. "She's always scheming, thinking of a way to get rid of anyone who isn't as smart as her. Just look at her!"

Shinji looks over to see Ami laughing with Sasami as she plays with Ryo-ohki.

"I don't know…" Shinji replies.

"Oh, you're too dense to see it!" Asuka says.

_"That stupid Shinji, he doesn't know how to play this game, and it's going to cost me more than him!" Asuka says. "If he goes along with that stupid blue-haired girl, she's going to end up pulling something to get rid of me! Then he'll be gone next, but he won't see it coming because he's so dense."_

A few hours later, half of the tribe returns with a bunch of branches and logs in order to build a shelter. They then begin working on building it, getting help from Ami, Sasami and Shinji. Toshiro is willing to help, but Kagome tells him to stay still in order to heal faster. Asuka just flat-out refuses to help at all, drawing the ire of several of her teammates.

"Aren't you going to help us, Asuka?" Tenchi asks.

"Why should I? I'm a woman. I don't do manual labor," Asuka replies.

"The majority of us on our tribe are women," Ami comments. "If we don't work, we won't get anything accomplished."

"Shut up, Wonder Girl 2," Asuka says.

_"That Asuka is just writing her own name on those votes," Ami says. "She's a real pain, that's for sure."_

The other players put together a shelter with the supplies that they have gathered. It is not exactly the sturdiest shelter, but it works well enough for the tribe. They also build a fire using some of the logs that they have collected. As night falls on the Hakurei tribe, the players prepare for a brand new game, no longer battling as separate tribes- at least, not on the surface.

Day 20

Hakurei Tribe

The next morning, Asuka sees that Toshiro and Kagome are sitting next to each other, and she wastes no time in starting a new controversy.

"So, are you two going to kiss again?" Asuka asks.

"Kiss?" Sango asks, overhearing Asuka's statement.

"Yeah, that's right," Asuka says. "These two are in love!"

"Get out of here, Asuka!" Toshiro yells, blushing heavily. He begins to pout, while Asuka walks away.

"Wait a minute, what's going on here?" Sango asks.

Kagome sighs, while blushing herself. "Uh, well, you see…" she says. "Toshiro and I, we sort of-"

"We kissed, all right?" Toshiro says. "But that was it. There's nothing else to it."

"Nothing else to it?" Sango asks. "So, you two just kiss, but there's nothing between you two? Come on, Kagome, I know that's not the case."

"Look, InuYasha's allowed to flirt with Kikyo, isn't he?" Kagome replies. "He'll kiss her right in front of me!"

"That is true…" Sango comments. "And that monk… well, he goes after every woman in sight. I guess I can't criticize you, Kagome."

_"I would have never thought Kagome of all people would become a two-timer," Sango says. "But, if it's to get back at InuYasha for his own actions, more power to her."_

Meanwhile, Ami has called over Makoto, Tenchi, Sasami and Shinji to her in the cave, to have a conversation about their strategy in the game.

"We are all original Jurai tribe members," Ami states. "As such, I think we should stick together, to the end, all five of us."

"But what about Asuka?" Shinji asks.

"I thought you wanted to get rid of Asuka," Sasami comments.

"I did, but isn't it unfair if we leave her out of a Jurai alliance?" Shinji questions.

"Shinji, this game isn't about being fair," Makoto remarks. "It's about doing whatever it takes to go as far as possible in the game."

"Besides, Shinji, Asuka is only using you for her own good," Tenchi says. "She'd turn on you without any thought."

"I guess…" Shinji replies.

"Now, as members of the Jurai alliance, we must make sure to take out the former Seireitei tribe, one by one," Ami says. "Now, since we are leaving out Asuka, the best option for us is to get Seireitei to vote her out as well as us."

"But wouldn't it be better for their sake to create an alliance with Asuka and go after us?" Makoto asks.

"Of course it would," Ami responds. "But if we make it out to them that we don't have an alliance against them, they'll be more than willing to vote out Asuka, and rid us of our biggest headache."

All this talk about voting out Asuka makes Shinji feel guilty. He feels obligated to tell Asuka about the plan to vote her out, but not before he receives a warning.

"Whatever you do, Shinji, do not tell Asuka about our plan," Sasami tells Shinji.

_"I don't want to betray Asuka, but by telling her about this, I'd be betraying Sasami… one way or another, I'm going to hurt someone," Shinji says. "And soon everyone will hate me for betraying them."_

A little later in the day, Ami acts out her plan, by talking with Toshiro, Kagome, Sango and Orihime.

"I am a bit concerned that you feel some animosity towards the former Jurai tribe," Ami comments.

"Well, certainly we felt left out when we were part of your tribe," Sango replies.

"I understand your feelings, and I apologize for any hardships you may have had," Ami states. "I wish to patch things up with all of you, and let you know that we are no longer playing the game that way."

"Playing the game without alliances?" Toshiro asks. "That seems a little hard to believe."

"I am not saying that there will be no alliances," Ami replies. "But I am saying that my goal is to work with you four, not against you, as you may have expected."

"How so?" Kagome asks.

"I want to vote out Asuka," Ami says.

The four former Seireitei players look at each other, then smile at Ami.

"Just what we want ourselves," Toshiro says.

"Really?" Ami responds.

"Yes, that has been our plan from the merge, to get rid of her," Toshiro explains. "In fact, we've tried to get rid of her the last two votes, but I won immunity for us two votes ago, and in the last vote, Temari lied to everyone and got herself voted out after a tie."

"A tie?" Ami asks. "Interesting… was Asuka the one tied with her?"

"Asuka was in fact tied with her," Kagome says, conveniently leaving out the fact that she was also tied in the vote. "But Temari got voted out in the revote."

"Well, that should help, just in case of a tie," Ami states. "Thank you for your support."

"You're welcome," Toshiro says. "And maybe we can work together in the future."

"I hope so," Ami replies, walking away.

_"Everything went according to plan," Ami says. "They're all ready to vote out Asuka, and they think nothing of our alliance. Once Asuka is gone, they will be outnumbered 5-4, and absolutely helpless against us."_

_"Ami really seemed to be a different person," Sango says. "The last five or six days, she's been rather stuck-up and feeling as if she was better than anyone from the original Seireitei tribe. But now, she's willing to work with us, because she's as sick of Asuka as Toshiro and Kagome are. I hope this means she's no longer planning on keeping the original Jurai together."_

A little while later, Shinji goes over to talk to Asuka, who has remained isolated from the tribe for most of the day.

"Um, Asuka…" Shinji begins to say.

"Oh, what now, stupid Shinji?" Asuka asks. "I've already been rejected by the rest of this tribe, are you going to reject me too?"

"Well, I was going to-" Shinji starts.

"Of course you were going to!" Asuka exclaims. "You hate me, just as much as the rest do, don't you?"

"No, I just wanted to tell you that everyone wants to vote you out, and-" Shinji begins again.

"That's what I thought," Asuka replies. "Well, I have a message for them, and I'm going to let them know it right now!"

"Wait, Asuka!" Shinji cries, as Asuka stomps towards the other members of the Hakurei tribe.

"Attention, everyone!" Asuka shouts. "I have some news for you!"

"What's that?" a rather annoyed Toshiro asks.

"I hate you!" Asuka screams. "I hate every single one of you! I hate you, Sasami, I hate you, Tenchi, I hate you, Makoto, I hate you, Wonder Girl 2, I hate you, pipsqueak, I hate you, girlfriend of the pipsqueak, I hate you, boomerang girl, I hate you, stupid girl, and I really, really hate you, Shinji!"

The entire tribe is absolutely stunned. All of them are completely silent, having no way of responding to this outburst.

_"And most of all, I hate myself," Asuka says._

The afternoon goes on as before the outburst, with Asuka separating herself from everyone, and the rest of the tribe talking and laughing with each other. They eat a meal, then get ready for the game's first individual immunity challenge.

Immunity Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet shouts.

The ten players walk into the immunity challenge area (with Makoto and Tenchi still carrying the slowly-recovering Toshiro), which is on the edge of a river, not far from Mt. Hakurei. They notice a bunch of small wooden stumps in the middle of the river.

"Let's get to today's challenge," Jet says. "All ten of you will stand out on those stumps, as there is one stump for each of you. This challenge is simple: the last one standing on their stump wins the challenge."

"What are we playing for?" a rather clueless Orihime asks.

"I already told you yesterday what you're playing for, the Immunity Beads of Subjugation," Jet says. "This necklace will give you a 1-in-9 shot at winning this game. Now head out to the stumps, and we'll begin today's challenge."

"Could I sit out this challenge?" Toshiro asks. "I'm still not feeling too well."

"Very well, Hitsugaya, you are out of today's challenge before it starts," Jet says. "The rest of you, get on out there."

The players swim out to the stumps, and each of the players stand on one of them.

"This challenge has officially begun," Jet announces.

30 minutes pass. All the players are still standing upon their stumps, when Jet decides to come out with a temptation.

"We've got a big bowl of rice and some ramen noodles here," he says. "Anyone who wants it, just say so, and step down."

None of the players flinch.

"You gotta do better than that!" Asuka screams.

"Oh, trust me, I will," Jet says.

Another half hour passes. Jet comes out again with a different temptation for the players.

"I have crutches here with me," Jet says to the players. "Any of you who chooses to step down now may give these crutches to your tribemate Toshiro… but if no one steps down, he does not get them."

Kagome responds in a heartbeat. "I'll take them!" she exclaims, hopping down from the stump.

"Kagome is out of the challenge!" Jet announces.

As Kagome goes over to Toshiro, he gives her an annoyed look.

"You didn't have to take yourself out of the game just for me," he mutters.

"We help each other out all we can," Kagome replies. "You decided to stay in the game to help me, so I wanted to do something to help you."

Meanwhile, the players remain standing out on the stumps for another hour, with no one stepping down, before Jet comes out with another temptation.

"Here I have ten boxes of Pocky," Jet states. "Anyone who wants them, step down now."

"Ooh! I want them!" Sasami says, hopping off the stump with no hesitation.

"Sasami, now out of the challenge!" Jet announces.

It is not until an hour later when Jet comes out with the next temptation (three hours since the beginning of the challenge).

"Okay, I have a large feast of steaks, rice and seafood here," Jet states. "Anyone who wants this, just say so."

Makoto looks over at Tenchi. "Want to share it?" she asks him.

"Yeah, sure," Tenchi says.

The two of them hop off together and go over to get their food.

"Tenchi and Makoto, both out of the challenge!" Jet announces.

Four hours have now passed since the beginning of the challenge. Orihime finds her legs to be getting quite tired. She is having a hard time staying aboard the stump.

"Stay on, Orihime!" Sango says to her.

"I'm trying, Sango," Orihime replies.

"Oh, give it up, stupid girl!" Asuka shouts. "You can't make it any longer!"

"Huh?" Orihime asks.

Distracted by Asuka's comment, Orihime's right foot slips, and she goes splashing into the water.

"Orihime is now out of the challenge!" Jet shouts.

He was about to bring out a plate of food to the players, but because Orihime stepped down, he decides to eat the food instead.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to offer that to us?" Sango asks.

"I think I accomplished my goal of getting someone to step down," Jet replies. "You can wait a while."

Sango growls at Jet frustratedly. As she does, she slips and falls into the water.

"Sango, now out of the challenge!" Jet announces.

Sango heads back to shore, quite angry at Jet, who simply laughs and continues eating.

_"Right now, if I could vote out the host, I would," Sango says._

Another hour passes, making it five hours since the beginning of the challenge. Shinji, Ami and Asuka still remain out there, none of them flinching.

"You guys have been out here a long time," Jet tells them. "Now I have something else for you that may be of great interest to you."

The players look interestedly at Jet, waiting for him to tell them what it is.

"If one of you decides to step down now, you will be allowed to use this telephone created by our resident scientist Washu, to talk to anyone you wish, for five minutes," Jet explains.

Without hesitation, Shinji hops down from his stump.

"Shinji is now out of the challenge!" Jet announces.

Shinji rushes over to Jet, who is holding a cell phone.

"Okay, Shinji, you can use this to talk to whoever you wish," Jet says. "Just tell me who you want to call, and thanks to Washu's scientific prowess, it will call that person."

"Misato Katsuragi," Shinji tells Jet.

"Misato Katsuragi," Jet says. "And she lives… where?"

"Tokyo-3," Shinji replies.

"Tokyo-3," Jet says. "Okay… here you go."

Jet hands the phone to Shinji, whose heart is pounding as he waits to hear Misato's voice on the other end of the line. After waiting several seconds, he hears Misato say, "Hello?"

"Misato!" Shinji exclaims. "It's Shinji, and I'm so, so sorry-"

"Oh, hi, Shinji!" Misato replies cheerfully. "You doing pretty well in that game of yours?"

"Uh, maybe," Shinji says. "But that doesn't matter… what is going on with the Angels?"

"Angels?" Misato asks, with Shinji hearing her sipping from a can. "Is that a baseball team I'm not aware of?"

"Misato!" Shinji screams. "Have you had too much Yebisu beer?"

"Oh, right, the Angels," Misato replies. "Yeah, Shinji, I tried putting them out of my mind, now that there aren't any more of them."

"But you said they were back!" Shinji yells.

"I did? Oh, that's right," Misato says. "Yeah, that was a little misunderstanding… that thing we thought was an Angel was just a spy satellite that the United States sent out over 50 years ago. The United Nations destroyed it with ease."

"You mean you almost had me leave the game over something like that?" Shinji shouts.

"Hey, we all make mistakes," Misato says. "Now if you'll excuse me, Kaji's coming over in a minute."

"Bye, Misato," Shinji sighs.

"Bye, Shinji," Misato replies.

Shinji hands the phone to Jet angrily.

"So, have a good talk?" Jet asks.

"Well, at least I found out my world isn't destroyed, and that the Angels aren't back," Shinji says. "But Misato's drunk as ever… it's never fun talking to her when she's like that."

"I can understand," Jet replies.

Meanwhile, Ami and Asuka remain out on the stumps, making it to the six-hour mark. Jet walks out towards the two remaining players.

"I got nothing for you," he says. "It's going to be a true endurance test the rest of the way."

Ami stands firm on her stump, refusing to step down, as she is intent on voting out Asuka. Asuka, realizing her standing in the tribe, also refuses to step down. Another hour passes by, and it is pitch black outside. Jet Black has started a fire, which all the players are sitting around.

"Is this ever going to end?" Sasami asks.

"We'll see," Jet replies.

Yet another hour passes by, making it now eight hours since the beginning of the challenge, and neither Ami nor Asuka shows any signs of weakness.

Day 21

Immunity Challenge (continued)

"It's now been nine hours!" Jet shouts to the two players standing on the stumps in the river. "How long can you make it?"

"I can stay out here for another day!" Ami exclaims.

"I won't lose to that Wonder Girl 2!" Asuka shouts.

Many of the other players have fallen asleep at this point. Toshiro and Kagome both are still awake, however. Both of them look over at Sango, seeing that she has fallen asleep. They then kiss each other.

"Hey, what's going on over here? A little bit of romance?" Jet asks.

"Why do you have to interfere?" Toshiro asks Jet angrily.

"That's part of my job," Jet replies.

The challenge reaches ten hours since its start. Neither Ami nor Asuka is budging from her spot.

"You can't make it much longer, Wonder Girl 2!" Asuka shouts to Ami.

"Neither can you!" Ami replies.

Both players' legs become significantly tired during the next hour. As the challenge reaches eleven hours, each of them is trying her hardest to keep her balance.

"This challenge is getting really interesting now!" Jet announces, although all the other players have fallen asleep at this point. "How much longer can Ami and Asuka make it?"

The taunting between Ami and Asuka really picks up at this point, as each of them is feeling very weak physically.

"You're not cut out for these types of challenges!" Asuka shouts at Ami. "Just give up already!"

"I will not give up!" Ami replies. "You try to make up for lack of ability and brains with your mouth!"

"Lack of brains?" Asuka screams. "Why, I guarantee I'm smarter than you! Who do you think you are? You're just some school student! I'm an Eva pilot!"

"You are just proving your lack of knowledge with that comment," Ami responds.

The challenge reaches twelve hours. Jet takes a sip from a cup of coffee while watching the players still standing on their stumps.

"You've been out here for half a day!" Jet says to the players. "Can you make it much longer?"

Both Ami and Asuka begin to really lose their balance, and each tries to keep herself on the stump. Then, suddenly, each of them slips and falls into the river, nearly simultaneously. Jet, however, was able to see which one hit the water first.

"Ami, you hit the water first, you're eliminated!" Jet shouts. "Asuka wins immunity!"

Ami goes over to Jet and protests, but it is to no avail. Jet puts the Immunity Beads of Subjugation around Asuka's neck.

"This protects you from being voted out in the next Tribal Council," Jet tells Asuka. "Congratulations."

"How about this, Wonder Girl 2?" Asuka taunts Ami. "Look who has immunity!"

Ami looks over at Asuka angrily. Jet laughs.

"I almost forgot," he says. "There's a little drawback to wearing the Immunity Beads of Subjugation."

"What's that?" Asuka asks.

"Sit!" Jet yells.

Asuka falls to the ground instantly. "Why, you-" she yells.

Ami laughs at Asuka, as she gets up slowly. "You got what you deserve," she says. "Sit!"

However, this has no effect on Asuka at all. "It only works when I say it," Jet explains.

Jet then walks over to the rest of the tribe, as they are all sleeping around the fire.

"Wake up and head back to camp!" he screams at the players.

The players slowly wake up, and eventually they all stagger back towards their camp, extremely tired.

Hakurei Tribe

It is not until early the next afternoon that all of the players finally wake up from the long night before. Asuka is sitting far away from the other players, as she has clearly separated herself from them after what occurred the day before. The original Jurai players have also separated themselves from the original Seireitei players. All of them notice the Immunity Beads of Subjugation hanging around her neck.

"There go our plans of voting for Asuka," Toshiro mutters. "Who are we going to vote for now?"

"It looks like Ami's back to her old alliance," Sango states.

"That's bad news," Kagome says. "We have only four of us against their five… we're through."

"But what about Asuka?" Orihime asks. "Could we get her vote?"

"I don't want to talk to her," Toshiro replies. "She says she hates all of us… she wouldn't want to start an alliance with any of us. Really, our only hope is to hope she votes against the Jurai people, and that we vote for the same person as she does."

_"I don't like Toshiro's reasoning," Orihime says. "We could make friends with Asuka, get her on our side, but instead he doesn't even want to communicate with her… I don't think that will work."_

"But who do you think she'll vote out?" Kagome asks. "She doesn't like Ami, that's for sure."

"Right, but keep in mind that even if we vote with her, it would only be a tie," Sango mentions. "Shinji has a bunch of votes against him… that would help in a potential tiebreaker."

"Well, whoever we choose, we'd better choose the right one," Toshiro says. "Otherwise, we're in deep trouble."

Meanwhile, Ami is talking with her alliance, as they choose who they want to vote for.

"This is a real pain!" Makoto whines. "I wanted to vote out Asuka!"

"So did I, and believe me, everything would be better right now if Asuka did not have those beads around her neck," Ami replies. "But we have to go to Plan B, and that's voting out one of the original Seireitei players."

"I say vote out Kagome," Tenchi says. "We know she has a bunch of votes against her already, so just in case they get Asuka on their side, she'd go down in a tiebreaker."

"We also should think about voting out the most likable one, in case one of them manages to slip through the cracks and go really far," Ami states. "In that case, I think I know who we should vote out."

And while all the others are talking strategy, Asuka just sits by herself, having no communication with the other members in her tribe.

_"I don't care about alliances, I don't care about any of that," Asuka says. "Let them plot and plan all they want, they can't vote out me. I'll vote for who I want to."_

Later in the day, Orihime approaches Asuka, hoping to talk with her.

"Go away, stupid," Asuka tells her.

"I was wondering if you would help us," Orihime says.

"I don't care about you! I told you I hate you!" Asuka shouts.

"But I want to help you… you're on the outs in this game, and it's not fair to you," Orihime says. "Please, I just want to be nice."

"Go away!" Asuka screams.

Orihime walks away sadly, knowing that Asuka has not just hurt herself, but also the chances of all four original Seireitei members.

Tribal Council

The ten players walk into Tribal Council with their torches ablaze. They set them down in their places, then take their seats opposite Jet Black.

"This is the first Tribal Council for the combined Hakurei tribe," Jet says. "However, to me, it seems like we still have the Jurai and Seireitei tribes, because there is a clear divide in this tribe. Do you feel that way, Toshiro?"

"Definitely," Toshiro replies. "I mean, there are members in this tribe that won't even talk to us. It's like we did something really wrong to them, and I don't understand it."

"What do you think about that, Ami?" Jet asks.

"I disagree," Ami answers. "I was open to talking to the former Seireitei members, and we discussed a plan together. I don't understand why they feel like they are being targeted."

"Ami, that plan fell through with the result of the immunity challenge," Kagome responds. "You and your Jurai alliance haven't talked with us since."

"Whoa, whoa, result of the immunity challenge?" Jet says. "The one wearing the Immunity Beads of Subjugation from winning that challenge is Asuka. You mean to tell me there was a plan to vote her out?"

"Yes, that's what it was," Makoto answers. "Everyone was going to vote out Asuka- all of Jurai, all of Seireitei."

"Really?" Jet responds. "What do you think about that, Asuka?"

"I hate them all for it," Asuka says. "Stupid Shinji told me about it, and even though he told me about their plan, he was going to go right along with them."

The Jurai alliance looks at Shinji angrily, while Shinji looks helpless.

"So, Shinji, you told Asuka of the plan for everyone to vote her out?" Jet says.

"Yes," Shinji sighs.

"Why did you do that, if you were going to vote her out yourself?" Jet asks.

"I don't know, I feel loyal to her, as a fellow Eva pilot," Shinji replies. "I guess it doesn't matter much now."

"It sure does matter," Ami says. "Maybe she would not tried as hard at the immunity challenge had you not told her."

"Wow, there certainly are a lot of problems in the new Hakurei tribe already," Jet comments. "First things first, you have the Immunity Beads of Subjugation, Asuka, but if you wish, you may give them to someone else. Do you wish to do that?"

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka says. "Of course I'm not going to give them up."

"Okay," Jet replies. "Everyone, you may not vote for Asuka tonight. On that note, it's time to vote. Ami, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Ami gets up from her seat.

Ami goes to vote.

_"I'm sorry, this is nothing personal, but it's part of our alliance," Ami says._

Asuka goes to vote.

Kagome goes to vote.

Makoto goes to vote.

Orihime goes to vote.

_"I have nothing against you, Shinji, but I have to give you my vote," Orihime says. "You're a nice boy, but it's part of our strategy."_

Sango goes to vote.

Sasami goes to vote.

Shinji goes to vote.

Tenchi goes to vote.

Toshiro goes to vote, using his crutches.

_"Hopefully we get some help, and you go home tonight, Shinji," Toshiro says._

After Toshiro comes back from voting, Jet says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet gathers the votes, rearranges them to his liking, then returns to the players.

"After the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet states. "I'll read the votes. The first vote goes to… Shinji."

Shinji rests his head on his knees, looking quite worried upon hearing his name.

"The second vote… Orihime," Jet says.

Orihime looks upset, as does Toshiro, although Kagome and Sango seem to breathe a sigh of relief, figuring that the Jurai alliance went after Orihime and not them.

"Orihime," Jet says, pulling out the next vote. "Two votes Orihime, one vote Shinji."

He pulls out the fourth vote.

"Shinji," Jet says. "That's two votes Orihime, two votes Shinji."

He pulls out the fifth vote, with both Orihime and Shinji looking nervous.

"Shinji," Jet states. "Three votes Shinji, two votes Orihime."

He pulls out the sixth vote.

"Shinji," Jet reads. "Four votes Shinji, two votes Orihime."

Shinji is looking extremely nervous at this point.

"Orihime," Jet says, reading the seventh vote. "Four votes Shinji, three votes Orihime."

He pulls out the eighth vote.

"Orihime," Jet reads. "Four votes Shinji, four votes Orihime."

The Seireitei alliance looks on nervously, knowing that they need to get Asuka's vote for any chance at Orihime surviving. Jet pulls out the ninth vote slowly.

"Ami," he says, much to the dismay of the Seireitei alliance. "Four votes Shinji, four votes Orihime, one vote Ami, one vote left."

All the players look on with anxiousness, wondering perhaps if one of the Jurai alliance members betrayed his or her own alliance. All, that is, except Asuka, who seems to not even care about the result of the vote in any way.

"Seventh person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan, and the first member of our jury," Jet states.

He slowly pulls out the tenth and final vote.

"Orihime," Jet announces. "You need to bring me your torch."

Orihime gets up sadly, with Toshiro, Kagome and Sango all hugging her as she does. She then walks over, picks up her torch, and holds it out for Jet.

"Orihime, the tribe has spoken," Jet says, putting out her torch with his snuffer. "It's time for you to go."

Orihime walks over and hops into the Bone-Eater's Well.

"It's quite clear from this Tribal Council that several of you are on the outs in this tribe," Jet says. "Whether or not you can improve your standing in this tribe is to be seen. You can head back to camp."

The nine players take their torches and head back towards their camp.

_"This was a really fun game," Orihime says. "I really liked getting to meet so many new people. I know Toshiro tried to help me all he could, but in the end, we couldn't get Asuka's help. I hope he gets well soon!"_

(Who voted for whom:

Ami- Orihime

Asuka- Ami

Kagome- Shinji

Makoto- Orihime

Orihime- Shinji

Sango- Shinji

Sasami- Orihime

Shinji- Orihime

Tenchi- Orihime

Toshiro- Shinji)

Scenes from our next episode:

_A player gets an unexpected reward:_

The happy player opens up the package, revealing Kon, the immunity plushie.

_Toshiro asks Kagome what she really thinks of him:_

"I was just wondering… what do you think of me, compared to this InuYasha?" he questions her.

_And there is controversy at the immunity challenge:_

He takes the Immunity Beads of Subjugation off the upset player.

"Immunity, back up for grabs!" Jet states.


	8. Julius Casear: Days 22, 23, 24

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, screaming at the rest of the tribe

Shinji Ikari, talking to Misato on the phone

Makoto Kino, angry that Asuka won immunity

Ami Mizuno, strategizing with the Seireitei alliance

Sasami, jumping off her stump to get Pocky

Tenchi Masaki, gathering supplies for the shelter

Toshiro Hitsugaya, telling Kagome to keep their relationship secret

Sango, looking suspicious of Toshiro and Kagome's relationship

Kagome Higurashi, pulling her hand away from Toshiro

And the jury:

Orihime Inoue, looking happy to see her former tribe again

_Julius Casear_

Day 22

Hakurei Tribe

Toshiro, Kagome and Sango are sitting together the next morning, eating some food, and feeling quite depressed over Orihime's exit from the game.

_"We're entirely at the mercy of Ami and her Jurai alliance," Sango says. "Any hope we had of getting back into this game ended when Orihime was voted out."_

"What are we going to do, Toshiro?" Kagome asks worriedly. "You know the Jurai alliance is going to be gunning for us next."

"It's going to be a matter of stirring up problems and hoping they turn on each other," Toshiro replies. "We've somehow got to cause a split in their alliance."

"That's not going to be easy," Sango says. "They seem pretty close."

Meanwhile, the Jurai alliance, which includes Ami, Makoto, Tenchi, Sasami and Shinji, is talking about their own plans.

"Our plans were thrown off by Asuka's winning of immunity," Ami says. "But this time, our goal is to stop her from winning immunity at all costs, and vote her out."

"And no telling her about it this time, Shinji!" Makoto scolds Shinji.

"I'm sorry!" Shinji replies.

"Shinji, you need to make a choice," Ami tells him. "Either choose to work with Asuka or against her, but don't try going both ways. Otherwise we won't be able to trust you."

"I understand," Shinji responds.

"What about the Seireitei alliance?" Tenchi asks. "Should we tell them about our plans?"

"Yes, we will all tell them this time," Ami replies. "Then once Asuka is out, all three of them will be taken out, one by one. We'll make it clear to them that their days in this game are numbered, whether they like it or not."

_"I don't like how Ami seems so sure about the way the game is going to go," Sasami says. "It makes me feel a little worried."_

Asuka, meanwhile, sits by herself, having no contact with the rest of her tribe. She feels completely isolated and lonely, as she has been rejected by everyone else. Yet she pretends not to care.

_"Forget these stupid people, stupid tribe, stupid Shinji," Asuka says. "They all mean nothing to me. I don't care a bit about what they think of me. I'm going to keep on speaking my mind, because they all hate me anyway."_

She looks over from her spot on the mountain to see the Jurai alliance talking with the Seireitei alliance. All eight players, including Shinji, are plotting her demise.

_"Stupid Shinji! This must be his way of getting back at me because I'm the superior Eva pilot," Asuka says. "Instead of working with me to win this game, he turns on me and chooses to vote me out along with everyone else. Fine! I don't care… not at all."_

At the same time Asuka is saying this, Shinji listens to his tribemates talk about how they are going to vote her out, and he feels very guilty.

"No matter what, she can't win this immunity challenge," Makoto states.

"We'd much rather vote her out than one of you guys," Ami says to the Seireitei alliance.

"We'll do everything in our power to stop her from winning," Toshiro comments.

_"Asuka... she's going to hate me…" Shinji says. "And I don't want her to… I want her to like me… I can't let her be put out of the game like this… it just wouldn't be right…"_

"And this time, Shinji, no telling Asuka about it!" Ami snaps at Shinji.

"Oh… right," Shinji replies.

_"We can't have Shinji giving away our plans, otherwise it's going to ruin the whole purpose of having an alliance," Ami says. "It doesn't matter if he's close to Asuka."_

"What about the reward challenge?" Kagome asks. "Should we go all out to stop her from winning that, or can we try to win that for ourselves?"

"You don't have to worry about that," a voice says.

The eight Hakurei tribe members besides Asuka look over to see Jet Black standing there.

"How did you get there?" Tenchi asks.

"Hey, I don't give away my secrets," Jet says. "But I guess I will tell you one secret: there will not be a reward challenge today."

"No reward? That's not fair," Sasami comments.

"Oh, I didn't say there would be no reward," Jet replies. "You'll be following this map to meet me for something special, in a few hours."

Sango takes the map from Jet. "Thank you," she tells him.

"I'll be seeing you later," Jet says, as he walks away.

"So there's no reward challenge, but we're still meeting him? What for?" Makoto asks.

"Maybe we all get a reward!" Sasami exclaims.

"Or maybe it's something really annoying, worse than a challenge, and then we get some sort of small reward in return," Toshiro mutters. "I'm starting to get better, but I'm still not wasting any energy on whatever this Jet guy wants us to do, that's for sure."

As the hours pass between then and their unknown meeting with Jet, Shinji begins feeling very depressed again, and Sasami tries to cheer him up.

"What's the matter, Shinji?" Sasami asks. "Why are you so glum?"

"I can't live with myself, betraying Asuka like this," Shinji replies. "I'm supposed to be her friend, and yet I'm just going along with this plan… I can't do it."

_"Poor Shinji… every couple of days he's breaking down and feeling really sad," Sasami says. "I wish he'd realize he's just playing a game."_

"Shinji, don't feel bad… it's just a game," Sasami says. "Asuka doesn't like any of us anyway."

"Asuka… she just says that," Shinji replies. "She knows she needs people, friends… when she gets stressed out, sometimes she expresses it like that. I wish there was a way to get her back to her normal self… I'd rather have her making fun of me than acting so strange that she refuses to talk to any of us."

The Seireitei tribe members, in the meantime, are talking about how they could possibly break up the Jurai alliance.

"There has to be a chink in their armor, something that would split them apart in an instant," Toshiro remarks. "I can't figure out what, though."

"They seem so close," Sango says. "We four were close, including Orihime, but they have five… they have the numbers. I don't know if there is an answer."

"I wish there was a way," Kagome comments sadly, clasping Toshiro's hand.

Survivor Auction

"Come on in, guys!" Jet Black shouts.

The players walk over towards a couple of large, smooth rocks, which they sit down upon, facing Jet. The location of their meeting with Jet is on the other side of the mountain, which disappoints some of the players, who were hoping to get off the dark and cold Mt. Hakurei.

"Welcome to the Survivor Auction," Jet announces. "In this auction, you all will have the opportunity to get rewards of various kinds, depending on how much you are willing to pay. First, I will give you all credit cards with 25 Woolongs each, which are pretty much worthless outside of this game, but in this auction, they could buy you something really nice."

Jet hands credit cards to each player, then goes back over to his original spot and pulls out a package. None of the players can see what is in the package, meaning it is a gamble for them to bid on it.

"Let's start the bidding," Jet states.

"5!" Sasami says.

"10," Asuka says.

"12," Makoto says.

"15!" Sasami exclaims.

After a few moments of silence, Jet says, "Going once, going twice, sold to Sasami."

He then opens the package to reveal a large assortment of candies.

"Go ahead, Sasami, enjoy," Jet tells her, as she begins to eat the candy.

He then pulls out another package.

"All right, let the bidding begin," Jet announces.

"5," Makoto says.

"10," Toshiro says.

"15," Sango says.

"20," Toshiro says.

"I'm risking it all, 25!" Makoto exclaims.

"Okay, this is officially sold to Makoto, for bidding the highest amount possible," Jet says. He then opens the package, to reveal a large cake, half chocolate and half vanilla.

"Enjoy your cake," he tells the happy Makoto.

The next package he pulls out receives high bidding as well, with Toshiro winning it at 20 Woolongs.

"Here you go," Jet says. He opens up the package to reveal an framed, autographed photo of… himself.

Toshiro groans. "Hey, this could be worth something!" Jet exclaims.

"I don't want it," Toshiro says.

"I'll take it!" Sasami exclaims.

Jet hands the photo of himself to Sasami, who then goes back to eating her candy.

"All right, let's keep going," Jet says, pulling out the next package.

This bidding war is won by Shinji, who ends up spending 20 Woolongs to find out what is in the package. He opens it up, and a note is revealed.

"Pick one player to take all of their Woolongs," Shinji reads.

He looks over at the tribe, seeing how none of them want their Woolongs taken off them.

"I can't do this," he tells Jet.

"Well, you have to," Jet replies.

"Fine, then," Shinji mutters. "Kagome, I guess."

Kagome hands Shinji her credit card, giving him a total of 30 Woolongs. She looks a bit unhappy, but tries not showing it too much, in order not to upset Shinji.

The auction continues on, with most of the other players winning some sort of food. Shinji decides to save his Woolongs throughout most of the auction, until he finally spends all 30 in outbidding Sango for an item.

"Here you go, Shinji," Jet says, handing him the package.

The happy player opens up the package, revealing Kon, the immunity plushie.

"This was the final item of the auction, and it is a big one," Jet announces. "Shinji has won the immunity plushie. This is separate from the Immunity Beads of Subjugation, as a player holding the immunity plushie may either use it right away or hold on to it for later. The player must choose to use the immunity plushie at Tribal Council after the votes are cast, but before the votes are read. The player may also choose to give the immunity plushie to any other player if they so choose."

Shinji picks up the immunity plushie, feeling pretty happy about winning it. The other players look on jealously, especially Asuka.

"That ends this Survivor Auction," Jet states. "You can head back to camp."

Hakurei Tribe

That evening, the Jurai alliance members are raving over Shinji's good luck.

"You managed to get the one that stole the card off anyone, and then the one with the immunity plushie," Makoto comments. "You're really lucky."

"You probably could win the lottery right now!" Tenchi jokes.

Shinji is able to laugh along with his teammates, actually enjoying himself for a little while.

"And don't worry, Shinji, you won't have to use that for a long while," Ami says. "We here at the Jurai alliance will stick together."

"Of course, you could give it to me…" Makoto says.

"Or me…" Sasami says. "Only joking! It's yours, Shinji!"

_"I feel loved," Shinji says. "These people really like me… I don't even have to pilot the Eva for them to like me… now if only Asuka would get along with me… how could I possibly get her to like me again?"_

Day 23

Hakurei Tribe

That morning, as the players are eating a meal, they are suddenly joined by Pokémon gym leader Sabrina, who teleports right in front of them.

"Who are you, and what are you here for?" Tenchi asks.

"I'm just here to give you this," Sabrina replies in a monotone voice, handing Tenchi a note, then disappearing.

"These visitors keep on getting stranger and stranger," Makoto comments.

"Well, what does it say, Tenchi?" Sasami asks.

"It's another poem," Tenchi replies.

"Which of these are not like the others?

Some of these things just don't belong.

Figure them out and win immunity

And your stay here you will prolong."

"Sounds simple enough," Makoto comments. "It must be a puzzle-like game."

"But that also means that we won't be able to physically stop Asuka from winning," Ami remarks. "We're just going to have to be better than her at the puzzle in order to win."

Meanwhile, Toshiro is struggling to walk, as he tries to walk without his crutches. He makes it a few steps before falling right into Kagome's arms.

"Toshiro, this is pointless," Kagome tells him. "Why do you need to walk now? Just rest up, you'll get better."

"Kagome, I can't be considered a captain if I can't even walk on my own," Toshiro replies. "I've got to do this."

"Oh, swallow your pride and realize you're still too hurt to walk," Kagome says. "Stop being like InuYasha!"

Toshiro pauses, looking up into Kagome's face, causing her to blush.

"What… what is it?" she asks him.

"I was just wondering… what do you think of me, compared to this InuYasha?" he questions her.

Kagome looks away, not knowing what to say.

"It's okay," Toshiro says. "I don't mind it if you like him better."

"No, that's the problem," Kagome replies. "I'm starting to think I like _you_ better… and it scares me!"

Toshiro laughs. "I'm thinking the same way," he says.

"We've got to stop talking to each other!" Kagome exclaims. "We've got to have nothing to do with each other, because we'll only feel more hurt once our time together is over, if we keep this relationship going."

"I agree," Toshiro responds. "From now on, the only time we talk to each other is when we discuss who to vote."

The two turn away from each other, with their arms crossed. Then, about half a minute later, they suddenly turn back towards each other, with their lips meeting.

_"I can't lie to myself anymore… I really like Toshiro," Kagome says._

Meanwhile, Makoto sees Toshiro and Kagome's kiss, and she begins to wonder why Tenchi won't kiss her.

"Why can't we be like them, Tenchi?" she asks him, moving closer to him, trying to kiss him.

"Uh… ha ha ha ha… I don't know… ha ha ha," Tenchi replies, trying to laugh away Makoto's request, while backing away from her.

"Seriously Tenchi, why not?" Makoto continues, getting a little angrier.

"Uh… ha ha… let's not rush anything," Tenchi says.

_"Can't Makoto see that I'm not interested in her?" Tenchi says. "I guess she's just like Ryoko and Ayeka… I just want to be friends with her, that's all."_

Asuka spends the entire day focusing on trying to win the upcoming immunity challenge. She refuses to let anyone bother her, sending Shinji away a couple of times he tried to bring her food. As the day rolls on, she continues to isolate herself from the tribe, while the other tribe members seem quite relaxed, knowing they need to do only one thing in the immunity challenge to be successful: beat Asuka.

Immunity Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet Black shouts.

The nine players walk into the immunity challenge area, which looks quite simple: nine desks, with pieces of paper and markers on each of them. Some of the players start to walk over towards the desks, before being halted by Jet.

"First things first, I'll take back the Immunity Beads of Subjugation," Jet says, walking over to take the necklace off Asuka. "Sit!"

Asuka collapses to the ground, causing the rest of the tribe to erupt with laughter. Jet then takes the necklace off her while she slowly gets up, even more furious than before.

"Let's get to today's challenge," Jet explains. "Each of you will take the desk with your name on it. On my go, you will turn over the sheet of paper on your desk and begin looking at the list on it, which is full of all sorts of names of different locations, people, and things related to your own world. You will cross out anything that does not belong to your world. Once you think you've crossed out every one of the things that does not belong, call out my name, and everyone will stop. I will then check to see if you are correct, and if you are, you win immunity, and a 1-in-8 shot at winning this game. If you aren't, you're out of the game. Sounds simple enough?"

The nine players nod their heads.

"Okay, head out to your desks, and wait for my go," Jet states.

The players head out to their respective desks, with Jet watching carefully that none of them try to cheat.

"Immunity at stake!" Jet yells. "Survivors ready, go!"

Each player turns over his or her piece of paper, then begins searching through the list for unfamiliar names.

"Pen-Pen, Misato, NERV, Indigo Plateau," Shinji mumbles, reading the list, then putting a line through Indigo Plateau. "Angels, SEELE, Soul Society…"

Within only two minutes of the start of the challenge, Makoto yells, "Jet!" The other players immediately drop their markers, then turn around. Jet takes out an answer sheet and walks over to read Makoto's list.

"Let's see…" he says, beginning to read her list. After some checking, he comes to a conclusion.

"Sorry, you're out of the game," Jet says. "You missed crossing out 'Yosho.'"

Makoto slaps her hand on her leg angrily, as she walks to the side, out of the game.

"When I say go, you may continue," Jet says. The players get ready, then Jet shouts, "Go!"

Everyone begins scrambling through their lists, trying to scratch out the non-belonging items. After a few minutes, Toshiro shouts out Jet's name, causing all the other players to stop.

Jet begins to read Toshiro's list, checking an answer sheet, and he is nodding his head as he does, seeing everything correct on it. However, once he gets to the bottom, he realizes a mistake.

"You crossed out Kon!" Jet exclaims. "How could you cross out the immunity plushie?"

Toshiro sighs. He had forgotten all about that annoying stuffed lion, even though Shinji had won him just the day before. Using his crutches, he walks over next to Makoto, to watch the remainder of the challenge.

"Again, wait for my go," Jet says, as the players prepare themselves. "Go!"

Ami begins getting frustrated. This should be easy for her; how come she was having such a hard time? Perhaps it was the pressure of feeling like she had to beat Asuka. But finally, after one last double-check, she thinks she has everything right, and is about to shout out Jet's name, when…

"Jet!"

Ami instantly recognizes the voice. It is the voice she absolutely did not want to hear- the voice of Asuka Langley Soryu.

"I'll check to see if this is correct," Jet states, using an answer sheet to check her results. The other players watch him nervously, knowing how important this result is. After a seemingly interminable minute, Jet finally gives a response.

"Asuka wins immunity!" Jet shouts, raising both of his arms.

Asuka shows her first sign of happiness in a couple days, as Jet puts the Immunity Beads of Subjugation around her neck. The rest of the tribe begins to shake their heads, some of them groaning. Ami looks particularly furious, but she holds her tongue.

"The rest of you, I got nothing for you," Jet says. "You can head back to camp."

The players start on their walk back to camp, with Asuka walking out ahead of the others triumphantly.

But all of a sudden…

"Yo, survivors, wait up!" Jet yells.

The players stop dead in their tracks, turning around and walking back to Jet.

"I didn't see that Asuka failed to cross out 'Rei Hino,'" Jet says. "Because of this, she is disqualified from the challenge."

He takes the Immunity Beads of Subjugation off the upset player.

"Immunity, back up for grabs!" Jet states.

The other players are thrilled, while Asuka looks very disappointed. "Go back to your desks, and we'll continue the challenge with the remaining players," Jet tells them.

The six remaining players go to their desks, then Jet yells, "Go!" Nearly immediately after his call, Ami cries out his name.

"Let's check this out," Jet says, walking over with an answer sheet to Ami's desk. He then begins checking her answers, while all the players watch. After about a minute or so, he announces the result.

"Ami wins immunity!" Jet shouts.

He puts the Immunity Beads of Subjugation around her neck, then says, "I'll see you tomorrow for Tribal, where one of you will be going home."

Ami begins to celebrate with the tribe, in a bizarre twist- most of the time it would be only the one with immunity celebrating, but in this case, it is the entire tribe celebrating. The entire tribe, that is, except for one- Asuka, who is dejected. She follows her jubilant tribe members back to camp, feeling worse than ever.

Hakurei Tribe

That night, the Jurai alliance celebrates Ami's victory.

"You won!" Makoto exclaims to Ami.

"Mission accomplished," Ami replies. "Now Asuka's going home for sure."

Shinji looks down upon hearing this. He realizes he now has one day to try to make amends with Asuka- before she inevitably is voted out.

Day 24

Hakurei Tribe

The Seireitei alliance is sitting together talking, as Toshiro has raised some concerns.

"Are you sure that the Jurai alliance is going to vote out Asuka like they say?" he asks the other two girls. "Or do you think they're just going to turn on us and vote out one of us?"

"If they do, what can we do about it?" Sango replies. "We can't do a thing, one of us will be voted out."

"One way or another, we're probably hopeless in this game, because there seems to be nothing that could tear that alliance apart," Kagome sighs, resting her head on Toshiro's shoulder. "I only wish there was a way…"

The Jurai alliance, meanwhile, is eating, laughing and enjoying themselves throughout most of the day.

"Isn't it great to be in charge of this game?" Makoto asks.

"Yeah, I guess," Tenchi replies.

"We have nothing to worry about," Ami says. "Even if Asuka were to team up with the Seireitei members, they still wouldn't have a chance."

"So it's going to be us five as the final five players?" Sasami asks.

"As long as one of them doesn't win immunity when there are only six left," Ami replies.

"That's great to hear, isn't it, Shinji?" Sasami asks.

"Yeah, I guess," Shinji replies.

"Oh, Shinji, why are you so upset all the time?" Sasami asks. "You ought to be having fun, like us! We're going far in this game, and you're coming with us!"

"I guess so," Shinji says.

"Shinji," Sasami says seriously, "I just want you to know, that you've become a great friend to me. You're very important to me."

Shinji's face brightens upon hearing this. "Thank you, Sasami," he replies. "It's not often someone tells me that."

He then thinks about someone who has never told him that- but someone he still cares for- Asuka.

As the day rolls on, Asuka sits by herself, just mumbling.

"Stupid game… stupid Shinji… stupid Jet…" she mumbles. "It's not fair that I'm going to be voted out next… I should have won that challenge."

She is approached by Shinji, who comes up to her slowly, worried about her response.

"Um… Asuka," he begins to say.

"Oh, it's the last person I want to see right now, stupid Shinji!" Asuka exclaims. "What do you want now?"

"I just was hoping to make up with you, before you go home," Shinji says.

"Make up with me?" Asuka asks. "That's not possible, when you're still going to vote me out."

"It's just part of the game," Shinji replies. "I wish I could keep you around, but if I turn on my alliance, they'll be mad at me, and vote me out."

"So you're saying that Wonder Girl 2 over there is more important to you than me?" Asuka asks.

"No, it's Sasami who I'm really allied with," Shinji responds.

"What is it with you and blue-haired girls?" Asuka cries. "Ayanami, Wonder Girl 2, Sasami… if I dyed my hair blue, would you like me better?"

Shinji ignores her comment. "Look, Asuka, all I want is for you not to hate me," he says.

"Too late!" Asuka yells.

"Too late?" Shinji replies. "Isn't there anything I can do to make up with you?"

"Nope!" Asuka responds bluntly. "Sorry, Shinji, but you've ruined your relationship with me forever. I can't believe I ever kissed those lips of yours! You are such a useless piece of garbage who does not deserve to talk to me, let alone pilot an Eva. I wish I would have never met you!"

Shinji is absolutely stunned. He has lost every bit of self-esteem he had tried so hard to gain back, and he is trying to come to terms with the fact that Asuka wants no part of him. Yet all he wants is to be able to make up with Asuka, and in his desperation, he thinks of one last possibility that may save his relationship with her.

"What if…" Shinji says, "I give you the immunity plushie?"

Asuka looks at Shinji carefully, wondering if he is joking or being serious. "You really mean it?" she asks.

He pulls Kon out from a bag that he was carrying. "Here," he says.

Asuka grabs Kon and immediately squeezes him to her chest, much to the plushie's delight. "Oh, Shinji, you really aren't that bad after all!" she exclaims.

"I won't tell anyone," Shinji replies. "Just tell me, who are we going to vote out?"

"We?" Asuka says. "You ought to keep your alliance and still vote for me, so then you can tell that Wonder Girl 2 that you're voting me out. It won't count anyway."

"But who will you vote out?" Shinji asks.

"Oh, I don't know yet," Asuka responds. "Probably one of those Seireitei players, either the white-haired pipsqueak or his girlfriend. Wonder Girl 2 has immunity, otherwise I'd vote her out."

Shinji stares at Asuka, who continues to hug Kon happily. "So, you don't hate me anymore, Asuka?" he asks.

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka replies. "Why would I hate the person who gave me immunity?"

Shinji smiles in return, but then he begins to have second thoughts. "You know, Asuka," he says, "I'm not too sure about this. I think I want the plushie back."

"What?" Asuka exclaims. "I thought you were giving him to me!"

"I've changed my mind," Shinji says. "Give me back Kon."

"But Shinji," Asuka says, as Shinji pulls Kon out of her hands, "I thought this was your way of making up."

"I want to make up, but…" Shinji replies. "I don't know what to do."

Tribal Council

The players walk into the Tribal Council area with their torches ablaze. They set them down in their respective places, then sit down across from host Jet Black.

"We'll now bring in the member of our jury," Jet announces. "Orihime, voted out last Tribal Council."

Orihime climbs out of the Bone-Eater's Well and walks over to a seat on Jet's side of the Tribal Council area, waving cheerfully to the Hakurei tribe as she does.

"Orihime, and all future members of our jury, will be here to observe Tribal Councils, and take in as much information as possible, in eventually choosing the winner of this game," Jet states.

Orihime does not look intent on doing this, however; she is merely happy to see everyone again.

"Let's first talk about the immunity challenge," Jet says. "Asuka, you really acted like you needed to win immunity to stay here. Was that disappointing when you lost?"

"What are you, dense?" Asuka replies. "Of course it was disappointing! I think anyone would feel the same way as me!"

"Toshiro, there is a definite split in this tribe, between those who were part of the original Jurai tribe, and those who were part of the original Seireitei tribe," Jet states. "Last Tribal Council proved that. Do you think that could possibly change?"

"We can only hope it changes," Toshiro replies. "I think some people have to realize that they aren't as close in their alliance as they think."

"What would you say about this, Makoto?" Jet asks. "Is your alliance possibly not as close as you think?"

"Absolutely not," Makoto responds. "We all get together perfectly fine. I think some people hope we're going to turn on each other, but we aren't, and it's too bad for them."

"Ami, you have immunity," Jet states. "How important do you feel it is to have that necklace around your neck?"

"Not important at all," Ami says. "In fact, I could give this necklace to anyone else in this tribe, and I still would not be voted out. I just didn't want Asuka to have it."

"That's a rather arrogant comment," Toshiro remarks.

"It's the truth," Ami replies. "You can't do a thing about it."

"All right, first, Ami, you have the Immunity Beads of Subjugation," Jet says. "You may keep them, of course, or you may give them to another member of your tribe. It's your choice."

"I don't need them, but I'll keep them regardless," Ami responds.

"Okay," Jet says. "You may not vote for Ami tonight. As for the rest of you, one of you will be going home. It is time to vote. Ami, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Ami gets up from her seat.

Ami goes to vote.

_"Asuka," Ami says, "you've annoyed us all to death, and you've been of no use to us, but finally, you'll be out of here, and to that, I say, good riddance."_

Asuka goes to vote.

Kagome goes to vote.

Makoto goes to vote.

Sango goes to vote.

_"I'm voting for Asuka," Sango says, "and hoping that the Jurai alliance does the same."_

Sasami goes to vote.

Shinji goes to vote.

Tenchi goes to vote.

Toshiro goes to vote.

After Toshiro comes back from voting, Jet Black says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet goes to the voting booth, takes the votes, rearranges them, then returns to the players.

"If anyone has the immunity plushie, and would like to play it, now is the time to do so," Jet says.

The Hakurei tribe looks over at Shinji, but Shinji has no response. However, another voice speaks, one that no one wants to hear.

"About that, Jet," Asuka says.

She pulls out Kon from a bag she brought with her. She walks over to Jet happily and hands him the plushie, while the rest of the tribe (save for Shinji) gasps in horror.

"The rules of Survivor: Feudal Japan state that if the immunity plushie is played, any votes cast against that person do not count, and the person with the next highest number of votes is eliminated," Jet announces. "This, of course, is the immunity plushie."

Ami gives Shinji an angry glare. Toshiro groans, while Sango covers her face with her hands. Orihime just looks on cheerfully.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet says. "I'll read the votes. The first vote… Asuka. Does not count."

The Hakurei tribe members are burning with anger. How could Shinji have possibly helped out Asuka like this?

"The next vote… Asuka," Jet says. "Does not count."

Asuka smirks with delight, with continued angry responses from the rest of her tribe.

"Asuka," Jet says. "Does not count."

It is absolutely agonizing for players such as Ami and Makoto at this point, who thought for sure Asuka was going home.

"Asuka," Jet says, reading the next vote. "Does not count."

He pulls out the next vote.

"Asuka," Jet reads it. "Does not count. Still, no votes for anyone."

As the players look on, he pulls out the next vote.

"Asuka, does not count," Jet says. "Still, no votes for anyone."

The players begin to wonder exactly how many votes Asuka received, all of which do not count.

"Asuka," Jet says, again. "Does not count. We still have no votes for anyone."

He pulls out the next vote slowly.

"Asuka," Jet reads the vote, much to the surprise of everyone besides Shinji and Asuka. "Does not count. No votes for anyone, one vote left."

All the players look on with great suspense, wondering who Asuka's vote is for.

"Eighth person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan, and the second member of our jury," Jet announces.

He pulls out the vote, opening it up extremely slowly.

"No!"

The players gasp, as they see the final vote, and what it says on the parchment.

"STUPID SHINJI"

"Shinji," Jet says. "You need to bring me your torch."

"How- how could you, Asuka?" Shinji asks, in absolute shock. "I gave you the immunity plushie! I thought this was our way of making up!"

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka replies. "I still hate you."

"You're despicable, Asuka!" Ami shouts.

"No, Shinji, I don't want you to go!" Sasami cries.

"Is this even allowed?" Shinji asks Jet.

"You were the one who gave her the immunity plushie," Jet responds. "It was your choice. Now you need to bring me your torch."

In utter despair, Shinji grabs his torch, holding it out before Jet Black.

"Shinji, the tribe has spoken," Jet says.

He puts out Shinji's flame with his snuffer. "It's time for you to go," Jet states.

Shinji walks away slowly, ready to cry. As he is about to step into the Bone-Eater's Well, he turns around to look at Asuka, who simply smiles at him. He then steps in, leaving all of the tribe save for Asuka in total anger.

"I didn't see that one coming," Jet says. "And obviously, neither did Shinji, nor did the rest of you, except for Asuka. You can head back to camp."

The players grab their torches and walk back towards their camp, with the rest of the tribe walking far away from Asuka.

_"I'm worthless," Shinji says. "I'm useless. I'm scum. I'm stupid, so stupid, just like Asuka says. She hates me. Why? Why does she hate me? What did I do to her? How could I ever make it up to her? Asuka, please don't hate me! I don't want to be hated! I want to be loved! I want people to love me! Asuka, I want you to like me!"_

(Who voted for whom:

Ami- Asuka

Asuka- Shinji

Makoto- Asuka

Sango- Asuka

Sasami- Asuka

Shinji- Asuka

Tenchi- Asuka

Toshiro- Asuka)

Scenes from our next episode:

_The Sailor Senshi reveal their identities:_

The door finally crashes down, revealing not Makoto Kino, but Sailor Jupiter.

_A mysterious character has a gift:_

"I have something for you," the baboon-suited figure says, holding out a plushie.

_And the Sailor Senshi clash, going all out against one another:_

Sailor Jupiter shoots an electric attack at Sailor Mercury, who simultaneously counters with her own water attack.


	9. Thunderstorm: Days 25, 26, 27

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, taking Kon off Shinji

Makoto Kino, trying to get Tenchi to kiss her

Ami Mizuno, celebrating after winning immunity

Sasami, talking to Shinji

Tenchi Masaki, trying to get Makoto not to kiss him

Toshiro Hitsugaya, trying to walk on his own

Sango, wondering about her alliance's chances

Kagome Higurashi, catching Toshiro after he falls

And the jury:

Orihime Inoue, walking into Tribal Council happily

Shinji Ikari, talking with Asuka

_Thunderstorm_

Day 25

Hakurei Tribe

The entire tribe is silent this morning. Yet again, Asuka is ostracized from the rest of the tribe, who all are shocked that Shinji is no longer with them. While all the players were upset about this during Tribal Council, some of them have had changing opinions since then.

_"This may be the perfect opportunity to bring down the Jurai alliance," Toshiro says. "In reality, Asuka staying may be a blessing in disguise. She could help us break through their alliance, if she's willing to."_

_"Asuka is a terrible human being," Ami says. "I realize that backstabbing is part of this game, but Shinji was simply trying to make up with her, and she used that as an opportunity to take him out of the game. She must go!"_

_"I can't believe Shinji's gone, he was such a good friend," Sasami says. "We've got to get out Asuka next."_

It is not until that afternoon that the tribe begins to communicate normally again, as they eat some of their remaining food, which is beginning to dwindle. Not many of them notice this, however, as they are too focused on other things.

"I'm going to try to walk on my own," Toshiro says.

"Are you sure you'll be able to?" Kagome asks.

"Yes, this time I am," Toshiro replies.

Toshiro walks across the whole area that the tribe is staying without needing one bit of help, for the first time since his injuries. He is met by applause from the rest of the tribe (save for Asuka).

"Great job, Toshiro!" Sango says, while Kagome rushes over to kiss him on the cheek.

_"Now that Toshiro seems to be better, he's going to have a much better chance at winning challenges," Makoto says. "That makes him a prime target for us to vote out."_

While the players are all still watching Toshiro, they are joined by a visitor.

"Captain!" the visitor says.

"Rangiku?" Toshiro asks, seeing the identity of the visitor. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just taking some time off," Rangiku Matsumoto replies. "I see that you've found a new love interest."

Toshiro looks aghast. "Uh, yeah, that's to remain a secret," he says. "Anyway, why are you here?"

"Just to tell you all that there is an upcoming reward challenge, with a little bit of a twist," Rangiku replies.

"Yeah, we figured that," Toshiro replies. "I guess that Jet guy is getting too lazy to come tell us himself."

"Good luck," Rangiku says, walking away.

The other tribe members look at Toshiro. "How do you know her?" Tenchi asks.

"I work with her," Toshiro responds. "She's my lieutenant, and I'm the captain, of Squad 10 of the Soul Society. I'm just glad she didn't see me on those crutches."

The whole time this is going on, Asuka sits by herself, watching the rest of the tribe, and thinking of her own strategy.

_"Now that stupid Shinji fell into my trap, let's see how many others can show off their idiocy," Asuka says. "I may not even need to win immunity to stay around here."_

A little while later, Toshiro brings together the Seireitei alliance to talk about their strategy.

"Jurai was greatly weakened by the loss of Shinji," Toshiro remarks. "If we can get Asuka to vote with us, we could possibly take them out."

"But there's that whole tiebreaker thing," Kagome sighs. "I'm sure they know about the votes cast against me, and they'd vote me out in a heartbeat."

"And how can we be sure we can know who Asuka will vote for?" Sango asks. "She may vote for one of us, for all we know."

"Well, it's a chance we'll have to take, if we want to stay in this game," Toshiro replies. "Asuka may have given us the opportunity to do so."

_"I can only hope we get help from Asuka, or else we're pretty much finished," Toshiro says._

Reward Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet yells to the tribe.

The contestants walk into the reward challenge area, which consists of a bunch of very thin strips of land going across a lake.

"Welcome to today's reward challenge," Jet says. "On my go, each of you will race across the lake, traveling on a very narrow path, while carrying a puzzle piece. You may bring one puzzle piece across the lake at a time. If you fall into the water, you must swim all the way back to where you started. The first person to get all four puzzle pieces to the other side of the lake and build the puzzle wins reward. Want to know what you're playing for?"

"Yes!" several characters reply.

"The winner of this reward will get to choose one other player to come with them to a shrine, where there will be a feast as well as entertainment waiting," Jet says. "You'll get to stay overnight and come back early tomorrow afternoon. In addition, they will get to choose one player to be sent into the deep caverns of Mount Hakurei, where there are demons waiting to possibly devour any visitor. There's also the immunity plushie hidden somewhere inside, if you can find it, as well as a decoy. But the winner of this challenge doesn't have to worry about that, as they'll have a great feast tonight. Worth playing for?"

"Yeah!" the players shout.

"Okay, get to your starting positions, and wait for my go," Jet tells them.

The players line up at the start of the course, each getting ready to pick up a puzzle piece.

"For reward!" Jet shouts. "Survivors ready, go!"

The characters each pick up a puzzle piece and begin to dash across the course, except for Toshiro, who walks slowly with his puzzle piece. Almost instantly, Asuka slips and falls into the water.

"Back to the start, Asuka!" Jet screams.

Asuka swims back to the start with her puzzle piece while the most of the players reach the other side of the lake, putting their first puzzle pieces down. She sighs, seeing how far behind she is already. Meanwhile, coming back the other way, Ami falls into the water.

"Ami, back to the start!" Jet yells at her.

Tenchi and Makoto are in the lead at this point, getting their second puzzle pieces. Kagome, meanwhile, slips herself and falls into the water.

"Kagome, you go back to the start!" Jet shouts.

Sango tries catching up to Tenchi and Makoto, but they are quite a bit ahead of her at this point. Toshiro, with his slow and steady pace, is still quite a bit behind, as is Sasami.

"Asuka's way behind, not even in this challenge!" Jet taunts.

"Shut up, stupid!" Asuka yells.

Tenchi and Makoto each simultaneously set down their second puzzle pieces, returning to get their third pieces. Sango and Sasami are a little bit behind them, with Toshiro falling further and further behind, and those who fell off are way out of it.

"Toshiro, trying a different strategy, but it doesn't seem to be working!" Jet shouts.

Toshiro looks over at Jet angrily, hearing his commentary, then slips into the water as he is distracted.

"Hitsugaya got distracted, and he takes a splash!" Jet yells. "Back to the start with you!"

Tenchi and Makoto continue their blazing pace, grabbing their third puzzle pieces at nearly the same time. Sango and Sasami try catching up desperately.

"Sango and Sasami, trying to catch up, but to no avail!" Jet comments.

Tenchi takes a slight lead on Makoto, as they drop their third puzzle pieces off and head off for the final pieces. However, as they go to get the fourth pieces, Tenchi drops it, allowing Makoto to take the lead. She dashes to the end of the lake, then puts the puzzle together quickly, revealing a picture of the Welsh Corgi Ein.

"Makoto wins reward!" Jet shouts.

The other players exit the course frustratedly, particularly Toshiro, after getting distracted by Jet's taunts.

"Okay, Makoto, first things first, you may choose a player to go with you on this reward," Jet says.

"That would be Tenchi," Makoto replies instantly, with Ami rolling her eyes.

"Also, you must choose one player to be sent into the deep, dark insides of Mount Hakurei," Jet states.

"Asuka," Makoto responds.

Asuka sighs upon hearing this.

"Okay, Asuka, you will come with me, where I will lead you into the heart of this mountain," Jet says. "My assistant Spike Spiegel is waiting for you to take you two to the shrine, Makoto and Tenchi. The rest of you, I got nothing for you. You can head back to camp."

Makoto and Tenchi walk over to Spike Spiegel, who leads them on their way to the shrine. Jet leads Asuka towards Mount Hakurei, in a different direction than the rest of the tribe, which heads back to camp.

Hakurei Tribe

"Do you think it was a bad idea for Asuka to be sent inside the mountain?" Ami asks Sasami. "She could find the immunity plushie."

"It's going to be terrible in there," Sasami replies. "I'd hate to have to go in there."

Ami then tries talking to the Seireitei alliance. "We fully intend on voting out Asuka tonight," she says. "We would like to have your support."

"Are you kidding?" Toshiro replies. "This is our chance to take your Jurai alliance out. We're not siding with you now."

"Your alliance is still hopeless," Ami says. "From what I have heard, Kagome has several votes cast against her, as does Asuka. Even if one of those two wins immunity, we will simply vote for the other one, and win the tiebreaker 4-4. And that's if you somehow get Asuka to join you."

Toshiro sighs. "We're not going down without a fight, whether you like it or not!" he yells at her. "Your arrogance will soon be your demise."

Ami laughs. "My brilliance will be the reason for our alliance outlasting yours," she replies.

Inside Mt. Hakurei

Jet guides Asuka down a corridor in a cave of the mountain, then walks away.

"Have fun!" he says. "I'll be back to get you out of here sometime tomorrow, if you're still alive, that is!"

He walks out of the cave, leaving Asuka all alone.

"I might as well prepare for the worst," Asuka comments, putting on her Eva plugsuit. "I won't go down without a fight."

She sees several strange snake-like demons floating towards her, and she quickly begins to run. As she does, she trips and falls, hurting her knee. But she has no time to check it out, as a big monster-like demon bursts out of a wall and begins chasing her. Frantically, she looks for a place to escape, but she spends the next several hours just running for her life.

Reward

Makoto and Tenchi are enjoying a big feast inside a shrine, where there are dancers and music. Kagura, a reincarnation of Naraku, serves them the meal. Tenchi takes a bite into his steak, when Makoto asks him a question.

"Would you kiss me?" she asks him.

Tenchi stuffs the steak into his mouth quickly, then begins to mumble muffled sounds.

"Oh, come on, Tenchi!" Makoto exclaims. "We've been together for 25 days, and you know I like you. Why can't you just admit to me how you feel about me?"

Tenchi continues chewing the piece of steak as long as he possibly can.

"You're not getting away without an answer," Makoto states.

After finally finishing the steak, Tenchi gulps. "You really want me to tell you?" he says.

"Yes, and now!" Makoto exclaims.

"Okay…" Tenchi says, with a sigh. "You see, Makoto, well, I, sort of, I, um, well, I, you know, I just, uh, I, kind of, um…"

"Come on, spit it out," Makoto says.

"I, uh, don't really have a, um, crush on you," Tenchi replies.

"So you don't love me?" Makoto asks.

"That would be correct," Tenchi says.

"Why, you fool!" Makoto shouts. "You led me on all this time, and then you just tell me you don't like me just like that!"

"I didn't lead you on at all!" Tenchi protests.

"You liar!" Makoto screams. "You had me thinking we would get married! And now, you tell me you don't like me? How could you?"

"I, I, don't get it!" Tenchi stutters. "I tried being friendly with you, but I never actually wanted a romantic relationship!"

"I can't believe you!" Makoto yells. "I want nothing to do with you!"

She turns over the table of food, causing their meal to go spilling all over the place. The entertainers abruptly stop, seeing her run off to her designated room in a fit of rage. Tenchi, meanwhile, sits on his chair, shellshocked.

_"It was never my intent to have a romantic relationship with Makoto," Tenchi says. "I only wanted to be nice to her. I was afraid I'd hurt her by telling her that earlier, but now this has really blown up on me."_

Hakurei Tribe

"So, how do you think Makoto and Tenchi are doing?" Sasami asks Ami.

"Probably getting along great," Ami says, with a bit of regret in her voice. "I'm afraid she may end up taking his side over mine eventually."

"Well, don't worry, Ami, I'm staying on your side," Sasami replies. "You can count on me. I'm loyal."

_"Sasami is so sweet," Ami says, "and so naïve. I know I have her support at all times… there may be a time I can use her loyalty to my advantage."_

Day 26

Inside Mt. Hakurei

Asuka wakes up to find herself between two large rocks, just a few feet away from a lava stream. She feels terrible at this point, as she has simply been trying to stay alive, and now she remains stuck in this awful place. Suddenly, a baboon-suited figure appears before her.

"I have something for you," the baboon-suited figure says.

"What?" an angry Asuka asks.

The baboon-suited figure holds out a plushie.

"That's probably the fake one," Asuka says. "You're just doing this to get me to fall into a trap."

"You mean, like this?" the baboon-suited figure replies.

A giant rock suddenly begins rolling towards Asuka and the baboon-suited figure. She scrambles to avoid it, barely getting out of the way as it comes near her, while the baboon-suited figure is completely destroyed by the rock. She goes back over to where the baboon-suited figure was, and all that is left is a small puppet with hair strung around it. She tosses the puppet away, then sees the plushie sitting on top of another rock. She goes over and grabs it.

"Even if this is the fake one, at least I've got one," Asuka says.

She squeezes the plushie, and she hears a screeching noise come from it.

"Maybe this is the real one after all!" she exclaims. "That thing could talk, so I bet this is it."

She then begins climbing rocks to try to get closer to the place where she entered the mountain.

Hakurei Tribe

Sasami is bothering the rest of her tribe, telling them that she has a letter for them to read.

"How did you get this?" Toshiro asks.

"Ryo-ohki brought it to me this morning," Sasami replies.

"Well, let's see what it says," Kagome remarks, taking the letter off Sasami and opening it up.

"Congrats on reaching the final eight,

Now come to this challenge and don't be late.

If you can climb the stairway to heaven,

You will be in the final seven."

"I guess we'll be climbing something…?" Sango comments.

"As long as Asuka doesn't win, everything will be fine," Ami states. "That's the entire key to today's challenge."

_"If we can get our way, Asuka won't be the one going home tomorrow night," Toshiro says. "But we need help…"_

Reward Challenge

Spike Spiegel has come to lead Makoto and Tenchi back to their camp, but he finds Makoto refusing to come out of her room, with the door locked.

"Open this door," he says.

He gets no response.

"Open this door or I'll have to take action," he states.

"Like what?" she replies.

Spike pulls out a gun and starts blasting away at the door, much to the shock of Tenchi, who is standing near him.

"Don't kill her!" Tenchi shouts.

"The door still won't open," Spike mumbles. "Here, hold this."

Spike hands Tenchi the gun, then pushes the door with all his might. The door finally crashes down, revealing not Makoto Kino, but Sailor Jupiter.

"Who… who are you?" Tenchi asks.

"So, you were trying to shoot me," she says. "It's about time I show you what I can do."

"Wait! I didn't shoot this! It was him!" Tenchi protests.

"I'm sure," Sailor Jupiter says. She puts her hands together, and a ball of electricity appears. She then shoots an electric attack at Tenchi, who barely dives out of the way, dropping the gun.

"I'm surprised I haven't seen a bounty on you," Spike says. "You must be some sort of wanted criminal."

"Out of my way!" Sailor Jupiter shouts, shoving Spike to the ground. She then begins chasing Tenchi down the hall, shooting electricity at him as she goes.

"And I was beginning to wonder why I hate women," Spike mutters.

Hakurei Tribe

"Where are Makoto and Tenchi?" a worried Sasami asks Ami.

"I don't know, but I'm sure they should have been back here by now," Ami replies. "It's almost time for the immunity challenge."

"Maybe they got eliminated from the game," Toshiro taunts Ami. "Then your alliance will be destroyed, once and for all."

"Jealous, I see," Ami replies. "In reality, your chances will end when we begin to tear your alliance apart tonight."

"I thought you were voting out Asuka," Toshiro retorts.

"We may just vote out your girlfriend instead," Ami says.

"What?" Toshiro exclaims. "Why vote out Kagome? She hasn't annoyed you the way Asuka has! She's innocent!"

"Right now, I'm definitely leaning towards voting out Kagome," Ami states. "So this may be her final immunity challenge tonight."

Kagome overhears this, and instantly becomes worried.

_"Great, now I have to win tonight," Kagome says. "I have so many votes cast against me in the past, that there's no way I'm going to survive any tiebreaker… this is looking bad."_

Immunity Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet shouts.

Ami, Sasami, Toshiro, Kagome and Sango walk into the immunity challenge area, looking around for Makoto and Tenchi. They see a large wall located in the middle of a lake, with some sort of staircases coming down from it, but no sign of Makoto and Tenchi.

"We now bring in Asuka, back from the depths of Mt. Hakurei," Jet states.

Asuka, now in her school uniform, walks towards the other players, although there is no communication between her and any of them.

"First things first, Ami, I'll take back the Immunity Beads of Subjugation," Jet says.

"First things first," Ami replies, "where are Makoto and Tenchi?"

"Oh, them?" Jet says. "Well, apparently they refused to leave the reward challenge area, so in return, they will not participate in-"

Just as Jet says that, Tenchi comes running towards the rest of the tribe, with Spike Spiegel hot on his heels.

"Spike?" Jet says. "What the heck is going on here?"

"There's an angry woman on the loose," Spike replies.

"Angry woman?" Jet asks.

He then sees Sailor Jupiter rushing into the immunity challenge area. As she approaches the tribe, she suddenly slows down and stops, looking quite embarrassed.

"Makoto!" Ami screams. "You gave away our secret!"

Sailor Jupiter pauses for a moment, then yells back, "That's Sailor Jupiter to you! Who cares if they know our secret? What's the use of playing this game if we don't go all out and use our powers?"

Ami looks extremely frustrated, but tries to hold back her anger. "Just tell me one thing… why?" she asks.

"Because of this lousy excuse for a man," Sailor Jupiter responds, pointing at Tenchi.

The players all stare at Tenchi, with Sasami quite upset by Sailor Jupiter's words.

"I love Tenchi," Sasami says.

"Good for you," an angry Sailor Jupiter responds. "I wish I could say the same."

"Ooh…" Toshiro says, chuckling.

"Shut up, pipsqueak!" Sailor Jupiter snaps.

Jet is getting quite upset that his usual time in the spotlight is being overtaken, so he shouts, "Sit!"

Ami goes crashing to the ground. Jet then walks over and takes the Immunity Beads of Subjugation off her neck.

"Once again," Jet announces, "immunity is back up for grabs."

The players stop their commotion and listen to Jet explain the rules of the immunity challenge.

"Let's get to today's challenge," Jet says. "Each of you has their own staircase connected to a large wall in the middle of the lake. The staircase becomes narrower as it gets higher. You will all climb one step at a time, and if anyone falls off the staircase into the water, they are out of the challenge. You will then all climb up another step, and so the challenge will continue, all the way to the top of the wall, until all but one player fall off. If multiple people reach the top, then they will have to balance up there as long as possible, and we will go until only one player remains. The person who does remain, wins the Immunity Beads of Subjugation, and a guaranteed 1-in-7 shot at winning this game. Go out to the staircases, and wait for my go."

The players swim out into the lake to the staircases, waiting at the bottom of them.

"Okay, you may all take your first step," Jet says.

The characters all easily climb aboard the first step of their staircases.

"Now take your second step," Jet says.

The players all climb the second step, also with no trouble.

"Now, the third step," Jet says.

As Jet promised, the staircase begins to narrow, and on this step, the not-so-nimble Ami slips and falls into the water.

"Ami is out of this challenge!" Jet shouts. "Everyone else, take your next step!"

No sooner does Jet say this than Sango becomes the next player to slip into the water.

"Sango, now out of the challenge!" Jet yells. "The rest of you, take your next step!"

The next step is so narrow that the players can barely fit both of their feet on it together. As a result, Sasami slips and crashes into the water.

"Sasami, you're out!" Jet screams, as Sasami begins to swim back to shore with the other ousted contestants. "Everyone else, climb the next step!"

The next step is even narrower; this time, Asuka, Tenchi and Kagome all slip off and fall, with only Toshiro and Sailor Jupiter remaining.

"We've got only two left," Jet says. "You two, climb to the top of that wall. Once you're up there, you want to remain up there longer than your opponent."

Both players do so, and they try balancing themselves on top of the wall. Toshiro is really struggling; given that he just began to be able to walk again, it is amazing enough that he has made it so far. However, he is not able to stay on top of the wall much longer, and he goes crashing down into the water.

"Makoto wins immunity!" Jet shouts.

Sailor Jupiter then tries to climb down the steps slowly, but she only makes it down one step before slipping off and crashing into the water herself. However, once she swims over to shore, she receives the Immunity Beads of Subjugation from Jet.

"Congratulations," Jet tells Sailor Jupiter. "You are guaranteed to not be voted out tomorrow night. The rest of you, someone's going home. You've got a day to figure out who that's gonna be. See you tomorrow at Tribal."

The contestants slowly walk back to camp, all of them soaking wet.

Hakurei Tribe

"I'm sorry you didn't win," Kagome tells Toshiro that night, as they eat a meal.

"Yeah, well, it wouldn't have done us much good anyway, even if I would have won," he sighs. "They've got the numbers on us."

"But what about that argument that Makoto was having with Tenchi?" Sango asks. "We could try to bring that up."

"As if that would work," Toshiro mutters. "It was probably just some temporary argument."

Little does Toshiro know, that Makoto (back to her normal form) sits in the cave, furious at Tenchi, not wanting anything to do with him…

Day 27

Hakurei Tribe

It is early in the afternoon, and Makoto is talking with Ami in the cave, having a heated discussion.

"I'm so sick of Tenchi," Makoto says. "I'm voting him out."

"What?!" Ami replies. "That's going to ruin everything we've worked for!"

"I don't care about our alliance right now, I just care about Tenchi being out of here," Makoto states. "He refused to like me, so I refuse to keep him around here."

"You can't do this!" Ami protests. "If you do, you're going to end up getting us all voted out!"

"No I won't," Makoto responds. "We'll just vote out Asuka with the help of those Seireitei members in the next vote, and everything will be fine."

"But this is the perfect time to vote out Kagome!" Ami continues to protest. "She has a bunch of previous votes against her, and even if Asuka teams up with Seireitei, it's 4-4, and we vote her out! You can't ruin this!"

"Sorry, Ami," Makoto says, walking out of the cave.

Ami is furious. Seeing her own alliance turn on itself is just too much for her.

_"Makoto's going to ruin our alliance, and our chance at winning this game," Ami says. "And all because of a stupid crush… I can't believe this!"_

A little while later, the Seireitei alliance, still not knowing about Makoto's decision, is talking with Asuka, trying to get her to vote with them.

"Asuka, we want to help you get farther in this game," Toshiro says.

"No you don't," Asuka retorts. "If you did, you wouldn't have tried voting me out last Tribal Council."

"Asuka, it's for your best that you vote with us!" Kagome exclaims.

"I don't care about your stupid alliance," Asuka says. "I'm voting for whoever I want."

"Could you just tell us who you're voting for, then?" Sango asks.

"I hadn't chosen yet, but now that you've bothered me, I'm going to vote for one of you!" Asuka says. "I couldn't care less about your stupid alliance!"

"Maybe then we should team up with the Jurai alliance and send your butt home!" Toshiro replies.

"Go ahead and try," Asuka responds with a laugh, walking away.

The Seireitei members stare at Asuka as she walks away, before Kagome realizes something.

"If she said that, that must mean she found the immunity plushie," Kagome says.

"Great," Toshiro replies. "That's just what we need now… Asuka immune to a vote, plus voting against us."

"Wait a minute!" Sango exclaims. "What about Makoto?"

"What about her?" Toshiro asks.

"Maybe she's willing to turn on Tenchi," Sango says.

"Fat chance," Toshiro responds. "I'm not even bothering talking to their alliance. I'm so sick of them, all I want to do is get rid of their leader, Ami."

"Well, maybe if we can convince Ami into voting for Asuka instead of me, then we could send her home tonight, if Asuka plays the plushie," Kagome suggests.

"How could we do that?" Toshiro asks.

"I don't know, but we'll have to try to talk to her," Kagome says. "Sango, you try talking with Makoto, and I'll try talking with Ami. Maybe we can work something out!"

_"I sure hope this works, or I'm out of this game," Kagome says._

A little while later, Sango goes to talk to Makoto alone, in the cave.

"Makoto, what happened between you and Tenchi?" she asks her.

"He wouldn't kiss me, he doesn't like me, that's what!" Makoto replies.

"Would you consider… voting him out?" Sango asks.

"Yes!" Makoto responds. "And I hope the rest of you vote him out as well!"

Just as she says this, Ami walks in on the conversation.

"Makoto!" she screams. "You're betraying our alliance!"

"And so what if I am?" Makoto retorts, stepping outside of the cave. "I'm awfully sick of having to do whatever you say! It's always been your alliance, you've always been in control!"

"I can't believe this!" Ami shouts. "You're willing to turn on your friend, over some dumb crush that would never work out!"

"It's all about you, isn't it?" Makoto replies. "You know what, I'm absolutely sick of you!"

"I don't believe what I'm hearing," Ami says. "Are you serious?"

Makoto suddenly pulls out her Sailor pen, while Sango leaves the confrontation.

"You aren't…" Ami starts to say.

"Yes I am!" Makoto shouts. "Jupiter Crystal Power!"

Makoto transforms into Sailor Jupiter, leaving Ami no other choice.

"I didn't want to do this, but…" Ami says. "Mercury Crystal Power!"

Ami transforms into Sailor Mercury. The two Sailor Scouts stare at each other with anger. The rest of the tribe hears their yells, and looks over to see the two of them about to fight.

"What's going on, Tenchi?" Sasami asks.

"I don't know, Sasami," Tenchi answers.

Sailor Jupiter shoots an electric attack at Sailor Mercury, who simultaneously counters with her own water attack. Sailor Mercury only uses her attacks for the sole purpose of deflecting Sailor Jupiter's attacks.

"Are they seriously attacking each other?" Asuka asks. "How stupid!"

The two continue shooting attacks towards each other, with the attacks canceling each other out, and neither of them getting hurt.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," Toshiro remarks. "We're witnessing the collapse of the Jurai alliance."

As the battle rages on, Sailor Jupiter begins to gain more and more power, with Sailor Mercury barely able to continue to deflect the attacks. Some of the players begin to get concerned about the outcome of the battle.

"This is awful," Sango comments.

"This has to be against the rules," Kagome remarks.

"Ami!" Sasami cries. "Tenchi, you've got to do something!"

Tenchi looks determined, and he pulls out his luxury item: Sword Tenchi. He then charges at Sailor Jupiter, and uses Sword Tenchi's blade to deflect the electricity. Sailor Jupiter then stops attacking, knowing it is to no avail.

"Enough is enough!" Tenchi shouts. "You can't just attack your friend like this!"

"Tenchi," Sailor Jupiter mutters. "Of all the people to stop me, it had to be you…"

Sango and Sasami rush over to Sailor Mercury's aid.

"Are you okay?" they ask her.

Sailor Mercury is crying. "I'm all right," she says. "I didn't get hurt. I just can't believe my friend has turned on me."

Sailor Jupiter turns away. "Why did you do this?" Tenchi asks.

"I'm sick of her," Sailor Jupiter replies. "I'm totally sick of her trying to run this game."

Most of the players are shocked by Sailor Jupiter's actions. Asuka is the only one who shows no care for the incident at all. The rest of the day, Sango and Sasami try comforting Ami, while Makoto stays away from the rest of the tribe.

Tribal Council

The tribe walks into Tribal Council, carrying their torches. They set their torches down, then take their seats across from a smiling Jet Black.

"We now bring in the members of our jury," Jet announces. "Orihime, and Shinji Ikari, voted out last Tribal Council."

The two jury members climb out of the Bone-Eater's Well. Orihime walks in cheerfully, waving to the tribe, while Shinji walks in with his head down, not even looking up once at the tribe. He keeps his head down and crosses his arms while he is sitting down.

"A very interesting three days at the Hakurei Tribe," Jet states. "Makoto, the action has all focused around you. Let's begin with the reward challenge, which you won. You chose to take Tenchi along with you, but that didn't turn out too well."

"Tenchi's made me to believe that he likes me, and then he suddenly decided to tell me that he doesn't," Makoto replies.

"I never said I liked you!" Tenchi shouts. "I never even tried to make it out that way!"

"You always sat next to me, you always were close to me," Makoto says. "You broke my heart, Tenchi! You broke my heart!"

Jet smirks, loving the interaction he is getting between the contestants. "And then, Makoto," he says, "you attacked Ami, who you've known for a long time. My first comment on that is: Why?"

"She's tried to control me, Tenchi, and Sasami the whole game," Makoto replies. "She tried controlling Shinji while he was here, too. I just got sick of it. I went over the line, though, and I'm really sorry, Ami."

"Makoto," Ami says, beginning to cry, "you've been my friend for a long time, and we've fought through thick and thin. But after attacking me like that… I don't know if our relationship will ever be the same."

"Ami, my emotions, or something, got the better of me," Makoto says. "I'm sorry. I almost felt like- I wasn't in control of myself."

"Makoto, you attacked me!" Ami shouts. "That's not something you just walk away from! I don't know if I can be part of the Sailor Senshi, if you are still going to be. You may have changed the destiny of the Sailor Senshi forever!"

Makoto is silent, not knowing what to say. Jet simply grins.

"The rules of Survivor: Feudal Japan state that a player must injure another player on purpose in order to be eliminated from the game," Jet states. "Since Ami and Tenchi were both not injured by Makoto's attacks, she is not eliminated from the game."

Ami looks down sadly. Her thoughts no longer rest on the game, but on her ruined friendship with Makoto.

"Jet, I can't take it anymore," Ami says. "I've got to go home."

"So, we have a quitter," Jet says. "That's fine. We don't need a vote. You can just go home right now. Is this final?"

"No!" Sasami screams. "Ami, you've been such a good friend to me. I just saw my friend Shinji get voted out, and you're another friend to me. I don't want to see you go."

"Sasami, I don't think I could live with Makoto another three days," Ami replies. "She may try attacking me again."

"I promise I won't," Makoto says.

"See, she promises," the naïve Sasami tells Ami. "Please, don't give up, Ami."

Ami takes a deep breath and sighs. "If only to prove my friendship to you, Sasami, I will not quit," she says.

"Oh?" Jet says. "Well, that's certainly a turn of events. Still, you could find yourself on the way out anyway, if you are voted out. Anyway, Makoto, you have the Immunity Beads of Subjugation. If you wish, you may give them to another player."

Makoto takes a deep breath. "I've thought about how I may have ruined my trust with Ami forever," she says. "And I don't know if there's any way I could ever repay that… so…"

She pauses. "I'm going to keep them," she says. The others just sigh.

"Okay," Jet says, while tears continue to stream down Ami's face. "It's time to vote. Ami, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Ami slowly gets up from her seat, still crying, and heads to the voting booth.

Ami goes to vote.

_"My head isn't even in this game anymore," Ami says. "I don't even know who to vote for, so I'm voting for you, Asuka… hopefully this time you finally go home."_

Asuka goes to vote.

_"I'm breaking my promise to Seireitei… I'm voting out Wonder Girl 2," Asuka says. "I'm sure they won't mind."_

Kagome goes to vote.

Makoto goes to vote.

_"Tenchi, you broke my heart," Makoto says. "You caused me to become so angry, I lost my temper, and did things I'll regret forever. For that, you need to go home."_

Sango goes to vote.

Sasami goes to vote.

Tenchi goes to vote.

Toshiro goes to vote.

After Toshiro comes back from voting, Jet says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet gathers the votes, rearranges them, then returns to the players.

"If anyone has the immunity plushie, and would like to play it, now would be the time to do so," Jet states.

The players look over at Asuka, who does not budge.

"Okay," Jet says. "Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately. I'll read the votes."

He pulls out the first vote.

"Asuka," Jet reads.

Asuka just crosses her arms in defiance.

"Ami," Jet reads the second vote.

Ami looks up at Jet through her tears.

"Tenchi," Jet says.

Tenchi looks over angrily at Makoto, knowing that a vote had to have come from her.

"Asuka," Jet reads. "2 votes Asuka, 1 vote Ami, 1 vote Tenchi."

He pulls out the next vote.

"Asuka," Jet says. "3 votes Asuka, 1 vote Ami, 1 vote Tenchi."

He pulls out the next vote and opens it very slowly, smiling as he looks at it.

"Tenchi," Jet says, much to Tenchi's surprise. "3 votes Asuka, 2 votes Tenchi, 1 vote Ami."

He then pulls out the next vote, opening it up slowly again.

"Tenchi," Jet states. "That's 3 votes Tenchi, 3 votes Asuka, 1 vote Ami, 1 vote left."

He pulls out the final vote, opening it up extremely slowly.

"Ninth person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan, and the third member of our jury," Jet announces.

He turns the vote around for the tribe to see. It has a broken heart on it, and the name of the eliminated player.

"Tenchi," Jet says. "You need to bring me your torch."

Tenchi hugs Sasami, who begins to cry. He then walks over to the crying Ami and hugs her.

"Good luck," he whispers to her.

He then picks up his torch and holds it out before Jet.

"Tenchi, the tribe has spoken," Jet says.

Jet then snuffs out Tenchi's torch. "It's time for you to go," he tells him.

Tenchi jumps into the Bone-Eater's Well, leaving behind two crying blue-haired girls, two hated girls, and the Seireitei Alliance.

"Apparently not all Survivor relationships work out," Jet says. "The rest of you also have a lot of problems to fix. You can head back to camp."

The players walk back to camp, with Ami and Sasami walking together, and the Seireitei alliance walking together, while Asuka and Makoto both walk on their own.

_"Makoto, I thought you'd realize that I didn't have any interest in you, but obviously, I was wrong," Tenchi says. "And after you attacked Ami, I certainly don't like you at all. You are selfish, and not a true friend at all."_

(Who voted for whom:

Ami- Asuka

Asuka- Ami

Kagome- Tenchi

Makoto- Tenchi

Sango- Tenchi

Sasami- Asuka

Tenchi- Asuka

Toshiro- Tenchi)

Scenes from our next episode:

_A player finds the other plushie:_

She pulls out the item, revealing it to be a plushie.

_An immunity challenges allows players to use their powers:_

"I said you may do whatever you can to knock down your wall," Jet replies. "Weapons and other powers are permitted."

_And a player makes a move that could potentially backfire:_

"I didn't expect someone to actually give up the Immunity Beads of Subjugation, but it has happened right here," Jet states.


	10. Changes: Days 28, 29, 30

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, running away from a giant rock

Makoto Kino, shooting her electric attack toward Ami

Ami Mizuno, shooting her water attack toward Makoto

Sasami, looking upset over the Sailor Senshi battle

Toshiro Hitsugaya, climbing up the stairs in the immunity challenge

Sango, splashing into the water in the immunity challenge

Kagome Higurashi, congratulating Toshiro

And the jury:

Orihime Inoue, waving to her former tribe

Shinji Ikari, coming into Tribal Council with his head down

Tenchi Masaki, using Sword Tenchi to defend against Makoto's attacks

_Changes_

Day 28

Hakurei Tribe

Ami sits in the cave by herself, still with tears running down her cheeks. She is still very upset about Makoto attacking her.

_"My life may be changed forever… I may no longer be able to go on as a Sailor Senshi… I don't understand… why did she attack me?" Ami says._

Ami was not injured by the attack at all, so that has no effect on her. But to betrayed by a friend like Makoto? It hurts her every second to think about it. Her thoughts no longer rest on trying to win the game through an alliance; that alliance has already been destroyed.

_"I don't think I could ever forgive Makoto," Ami says. "I can't trust her, I can't be friends with her. I'm afraid she'll try attacking me again."_

Meanwhile, Makoto sits far away from everyone else, struggling with her emotions. She doesn't understand what happened.

_"What got into me?" Makoto says. "Why did I attack Ami? I realize she was angering me, but for me to attack her like that? I don't get it."_

The Seireitei alliance, meanwhile, is arguing over what to do with their newfound power in the game.

"Time for Ami to go, finally," Toshiro says. "If I had known Asuka would vote for her, I would have had us take her out last night."

"How could you?" Sango asks. "After all she's been through? I feel so bad for her. Her own best friend betrayed her!"

"Yeah, so what?" Toshiro replies. "I've been betrayed before. It happens."

"Makoto attacked Ami!" Sango exclaims. "It wasn't just a petty argument!"

"Trust me, I know," Toshiro says. "Personally, I'm a little jealous that a girl like her was able to deflect those attacks like that."

"That's because she's not as short as you," Kagome comments.

"Why, you!" Toshiro exclaims.

"Look, I think we've got to take Makoto out of this game, as soon as possible," Sango remarks. "What if she attacks us?"

"If she dares to send any of that electricity towards one of you, I'll send it back with one swing of my zanpakuto," Toshiro responds. "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Well, I still think we've got to vote her out, next Tribal," Sango says.

"I agree," Kagome adds.

"Oh, so you're going to take her side?" Toshiro groans. "Come on, Kagome, we've got to vote out Ami!"

"Ami's innocent!" Kagome replies. "Maybe a little arrogant, but she was attacked by Makoto!"

"I don't know, she didn't seem like this the first 20 or some days she's been here," Toshiro responds. "Something strange got into her."

This makes Kagome think for a second. "You know, I wonder…" she says, before beginning to walk away from the others.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Toshiro asks.

"I'm going over to see Makoto," Kagome responds.

"No you aren't!" Toshiro shouts. "Not without me, that is."

So Toshiro and Kagome go over to Makoto, with Toshiro ready to draw out his zanpakuto. As they do, they notice that Makoto seems to be feeling sick to her stomach, and suddenly, she begins to throw up.

"Is this another attack?" Toshiro wonders.

"Wait a minute!" Kagome exclaims, noticing what Makoto threw up. "This is a tainted jewel shard!"

"Huh?" Makoto asks. "What's going on?"

"You tell us, electric girl," Toshiro asks.

Makoto looks mortified. "How- how do you- how do you know?" she asks, in shock.

"We know all about you and your powers," Toshiro says. "You and Ami both."

"What?!" Makoto shouts. "When did this happen?"

"Just last night, of course," Toshiro responds. "You and Ami had that big fight… come on, what's with you? Got amnesia or something?"

"I don't remember any of this," Makoto says. "And where's Tenchi?"

"_You_ voted him off!" Toshiro exclaims.

"_I_ voted him off?" Makoto asks. "That's impossible!"

"Wait a minute!" Kagome shouts. "Makoto, what's the last thing you remember?"

Makoto thinks for a moment. "I remember, I was on the reward with Tenchi, and we got served a meal by a girl with feathers in her hair… and that's it," she says.

"Kagura," Kagome mutters.

"Kagura?" Toshiro asks.

"Kagura is an incarnation of Naraku, and she must have planted this tainted jewel shard in Makoto's food in order to control her," Kagome explains. "Everything Makoto did, she had no control over. She was being controlled like a puppet by Naraku!"

Suddenly, Ami rushes over to Makoto and hugs her. She had been watching the situation from behind the shelter, and she heard everything that went on.

"I forgive you," Ami says. "Don't worry about what you did, I forgive you for it."

"Uh, thanks?" Makoto says. "I'm kind of scared about what I did… and I'm really mad that Tenchi's gone!"

Toshiro begins to walk away in a huff, while Kagome smiles, stomping on the tainted jewel shard and shattering it.

"Isn't this great?" Kagome asks Toshiro. "Makoto is back to being herself again… everything worked out!"

Toshiro just mutters something under his breath and continues to walk away. Kagome rushes after him.

"What's the matter, Toshiro?" Kagome asks him. "Aren't you happy that things worked out?"

"Kagome!" Toshiro whispers to her. "Now they've got their alliance back together! We were just about to take control of this game, and now, we're in trouble again!"

"Oh…" Kagome responds. "I didn't think of that."

Over the next hour, Sasami, Asuka and Sango all find out about Makoto's status, and she apologizes to everyone in the tribe. All forgive her, although Asuka really does not care anyway. Makoto is back within good standing in the Jurai alliance, which causes more concern for Toshiro, who had been hoping to take control of the game.

_"Now we're back fighting for our lives again," Toshiro says. "After it looked like we had survived the Jurai alliance's threat, it appears that we're in trouble again… we may need Asuka on our side, and that never works."_

Reward Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet Black shouts to the players, as they walk into the reward challenge area.

Jet immediately notices Makoto and Ami talking and laughing with each other.

"So, I see some issues have been ironed out," Jet comments.

"Those problems were partially your fault!" Makoto yells. "Were you the one who hired that girl with the feathers in her hair?"

"Hmmm… I think so," Jet says. "She cause you some trouble?"

"She caused this whole mess!" Makoto screams.

"Well, that's a shame," Jet replies with a laugh. "On to today's reward challenge. Each of you will have a bunch of vegetables. On my go, you will begin to throw the vegetables across a small expanse of water into a bucket. Once the bucket is full enough, a lever will be released, which will drop a bag of puzzle pieces. You will then swim out, gather the puzzle pieces, then come back and build the puzzle in your box. The first person to build their puzzle wins reward. Want to know what you're playing for?"

The players collectively nod their heads.

"You will join me on a helicopter ride around Feudal Japan, getting to enjoy all the sights around this beautiful land," Jet explains. "Then you will get a feast back at my camp as well as a comfortable sleep there. You will also get to send one person into the depths of Mount Hakurei, where they will be forced to deal with all the awful things inside there, although they will have a chance to find the immunity plushie. Worth playing for?"

"Yes," most of the players say.

"Take your positions, and wait for my go," Jet says.

The players line up at their starting positions. Asuka puts on her plugsuit for the challenge.

"For reward!" Jet shouts. "Survivors ready, go!"

Each player begins tossing their vegetables toward their buckets. Sasami has a difficult time with this, while players such as Toshiro, Makoto and Asuka are easily getting their vegetables into their buckets. Kagome has bad aim, and she accidentally puts a couple of her vegetables into Sango's bucket instead of her own.

"Aim for your bucket, not your opponent's!" Jet yells at Kagome.

Kagome shrugs off Jet's remark while continuing to toss her vegetables, but her efforts are fruitless, as Toshiro, Makoto and Asuka all fill their buckets and knock down their puzzle pieces. They simultaneously swim out towards the buckets. As they go to grab them, Toshiro slips, losing a little bit of time, but he quickly recovers, trying to catch Makoto and Asuka. He arrives back at shore just seconds after the other two, who go to work on the puzzle. As Makoto and Asuka begin to put their puzzles together, they reveal a picture of the spaceship Bebop, but neither of course recognizes it. Finally, one of them finishes her puzzle, and Jet announces the winner.

"Asuka wins reward!" Jet yells.

Asuka simply smiles while the other players are frustrated from coming up short in the challenge.

"First things first, Asuka, you get to choose one player to experience what you experienced just a couple days ago," Jet says.

"That would be Wonder Girl 2 over there," Asuka replies, pointing at Ami.

"Okay, Ami, you're on your way to Mt. Hakurei, where there will be a lot of excitement, and possibly an immunity plushie, waiting for you," Jet says. "Washu?"

Washu suddenly appears out of nowhere.

"Come with me," she says, and Ami follows her towards the passage to the heart of Mt. Hakurei.

"The rest of you, I got nothing for you," Jet announces. "You can head back to camp."

The rest of the tribe heads back to camp, save for Asuka.

"Congratulations, Asuka," Jet tells her. "Are you excited to be going on this trip?"

"What are you, dense?" Asuka replies. "I couldn't care less about this stupid trip. I just wanted to get away from that bunch of idiots."

"Well, whatever your motivation, you won," Jet says. "And now, you'll get to experience Feudal Japan like no one else has before."

A helicopter comes flying into the area, piloted by Spike Spiegel. It lands near Asuka and Jet, who then board it.

"Prepare for a breathtaking experience," Jet tells Asuka.

"Whatever," Asuka replies. "As long as it gets me away from that tribe."

Hakurei Tribe

"I can't believe Asuka won!" Makoto complains. "I was so close to winning this one!"

"Yeah, well, you can't win them all," Toshiro replies. "If you keep on winning, you become a bigger target, you know."

"I'm worried about Ami," Sasami says. "She has to go inside this scary mountain!"

"Ami will be just fine," Makoto replies. "She's not a weakling or a pushover."

_"What happens inside that mountain is of prime importance to us," Toshiro says. "If Ami finds the plushie, we can't vote her out, or otherwise her alliance's votes will end up voting out one of us. Somehow, we have to find out whether she finds the plushie."_

Toshiro begins snooping around, trying to find anything belonging to Asuka.

"What are you doing, Toshiro?" Kagome asks him.

"I'm looking to see if Asuka found the immunity plushie when she was inside Mt. Hakurei," Toshiro replies.

He then picks up a bag that he sees lying around.

"Is this Asuka's bag?" he asks Kagome.

"I think so," Kagome responds.

Toshiro looks inside the bag, but does not see Kon.

"Nope, it's not in here," he says. "She mustn't have found it."

"That means Ami could find it," Kagome comments.

"And knowing her, she will find it," Toshiro adds.

"So, who are we going to vote out?" Kagome asks him.

"We'll see whether she gets it or not, then make our decision," Toshiro says. "We're also going to have to get Asuka on our side, and that's going to be difficult."

Inside Mt. Hakurei

Ami has been dropped off inside the dark and dreary mountain by Washu. It does not take long for her to see several demons coming her way. She immediately transforms into Sailor Mercury, then fights them off without a sweat.

_"This may not be too much fun, but if I find that immunity plushie, it will be worth it," Sailor Mercury says._

However, as the day goes on, she is not only unable to find the immunity plushie, but she is also put to the test by stronger and stronger demons, forcing her to go all out with her attacks.

_"Asuka!" Sailor Mercury says. "This is all your fault!"_

Reward

The helicopter containing Asuka, Jet and Spike flies over Feudal Japan. As it does, the three of them get to see the land's natural beauty, with great mountains, large forests, and many lakes. They fly over villages, where people go about their everyday lives, and even over battlefields, where there are warriors fighting each other. They fly past a village headed by an old woman wearing a patch, as well as past a bunch of wolves. They then come close to a castle, where they can see a man with long hair talking to a small girl holding a mirror. Finally, they return to the mansion where Jet and all his assistants are staying.

"I hope you enjoyed that exclusive look at feudal Japan," Jet says to Asuka.

"It was certainly better than an afternoon with my tribe, that's for sure," Asuka replies.

She then joins Jet and Spike inside the mansion for a large feast, which she thoroughly enjoys. Afterward, she is given her own room to sleep in, on a nice and comfortable bed.

"I'm glad I brought you along," Asuka says, as she takes off her plugsuit. She has her normal clothes on underneath, and out of the plugsuit falls a plushie, which she was given by a baboon-suited figure inside Mt. Hakurei. She hid the plushie inside her plugsuit, so the others would not find out that she had it if she left for any reason. She stuffs the plushie inside her plugsuit, hearing a squeaking noise coming from it as she does.

_"It's the real thing, all right!" Asuka says. "I'll be staying here a lot longer than they all thought."_

Day 29

Hakurei Tribe

_"We're prepared for a big clash," Sango says. "There's the three of us from the Seireitei alliance, the three from the Jurai alliance, and Asuka. Whoever gets Asuka's vote wins… but she doesn't want to vote with anyone."_

Toshiro talks with his alliance, away from Makoto and Sasami.

"Okay, so Makoto's not all bad," he tells them. "Now that we've resolved that, will you join me in voting out Ami?"

"Sure," Kagome replies. "But we have to make sure she doesn't have that plushie."

"And if she does have it, I say we vote for Makoto," Sango adds.

"Good thinking," Toshiro says. "The problem is…"

"Asuka," they all say at the same time.

"How can we get her vote?" Sango asks.

"She seems to hate Ami," Kagome comments.

"Well, that would make it easier for us to get rid of Ami, if she votes for Ami," Kagome says. "But if Ami has the plushie…"

"Then it backfires," Toshiro says. "Then one of us goes. That's why we've got an important choice to make… either take a risk on a tie vote, or the risk that Ami has the plushie and uses it."

"What happens if there's a tie?" Sango questions.

"Then it would likely come down to Asuka's vote," Toshiro answers. "She would get to choose who stays and who goes."

"That's not a very promising scenario…" Kagome responds.

Inside Mt. Hakurei

Sailor Mercury is exhausted, having fought demons all night long. The demons have gone away for now, so she has time to rest. She sits down to rest on a rock, when she notices something stuck in between the rock she is sitting on and the one next to it.

"What's this?" she says.

She pulls out the item, revealing it to be a plushie.

"I wonder if this is the immunity plushie, or the fake one," she comments.

She tries poking the plushie a few times, but it gives no response.

"Either the plushie was told not to talk, or this isn't it," she says. "But it could be useful either way."

She holds on to the plushie, waiting for her time in the mountain to be finished.

Reward

"Wake up! Wake up!"

Spike is pounding and pounding at Asuka's door, in the mansion housing all the Survivor: Feudal Japan crew members, but she refuses to answer. He decides that the only choice is to go to his conventional method: shooting down the door.

"I'm getting kind of sick of doing this," he mutters.

Just as he is about to blast down the door, Asuka opens it up, looking at the gun-wielding Spike innocently.

"Did you need something?" she asks.

Spike puts away the gun quickly. "Come on, let's go," he says, leading Asuka on her way out of the mansion. Before she can exit, however, Jet comes running up to her.

"Here, give this to your tribe," he tells her, handing her a piece of paper.

"What's this?" she asks, snatching it off him. "Why do they need it?"

"It will explain about today's immunity challenge," Jet responds. "Now, go on, get out of here!"

Asuka exits the mansion, not even bothering to look at the piece of paper. She just goes on her way back toward the camp, which is awfully easy to find from the mansion, given that it is not too far away from camp.

_"It was nice getting away from everyone for a while," Asuka says. "Now unfortunately I've got to deal with them some more, but I think it's all going to be worth it in the end."_

Hakurei Tribe

"Well, look who's back," Toshiro comments, seeing Asuka returning to the tribe.

The others look annoyed as Asuka walks in, smiling for a rare occasion. She walks past them, dropping the piece of paper in Makoto's hands, as she goes to place her plugsuit back inside her bag.

"What does it say?" Sasami asks Makoto.

"Okay, here it is," Makoto replies.

"In order to stay three more days

You'll have to think up some interesting ways

To crash through a wall and knock it down

And make it collapse into the ground."

"Is it just me, or are these poems getting worse and worse?" Toshiro remarks.

"Knocking a wall down?" Kagome says. "That sounds like it's going to take some physical strength… I don't know if I'll be able to do that."

"Hopefully there's more to it than just that," Sango comments.

The tribe members eat some of the little food that they have remaining, before resting for a few hours, preparing for the immunity challenge.

Immunity Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet Black shouts.

The tribe members come walking into the immunity challenge area.

"We now bring in Ami, back from the depths of Mt. Hakurei," Jet says.

Ami walks into the immunity challenge area, back in her normal clothes. She walks over and hugs Makoto, who is wearing the Immunity Beads of Subjugation. This annoys Jet, because it interrupts his time in the spotlight.

"First things first, I'll take back the Immunity Beads of Subjugation," Jet states with annoyance. "Sit!"

Makoto goes crashing into the ground, allowing Jet to take the beads easily off her neck.

"Once again," Jet announces, "immunity is back up for grabs."

Makoto gets up from the ground as Jet begins explaining the rules of the immunity challenge.

"For this challenge, each of you will have your own wall, made up of intertwined branches and sticks," Jet explains. "On my go, you will begin doing whatever you can to knock down your wall. The first person to completely knock down his or her wall wins immunity, and a 1-in-6 shot at winning this game. Everyone understand?"

"Yes," most of the players say.

"Okay, get to your starting positions, and wait for my go," Jet says.

The players stand in their designated positions, waiting for Jet.

"Survivors ready?" Jet says. "Go!"

The contestants begin pushing, punching and kicking at their walls. Poor Sasami is having the hardest time with this, while Toshiro and Makoto are the strongest. Sango is struggling, and at one point, she reaches for her Hirakotsu, and slams it into the wall, knocking out a considerable portion of it. Ami immediately stops and protests to Jet.

"Isn't that illegal?" she asks Jet. "She used her boomerang!"

"I said you may do whatever you can to knock down your wall," Jet replies. "Weapons and other powers are permitted."

"In that case," Ami says, "Mercury Crystal Power!"

Ami transforms into Sailor Mercury, causing Makoto to become surprised.

"I thought you said not for us to reveal our identities!" Makoto exclaims.

"We already did, remember?" Sailor Mercury replies.

"Oh… right," Makoto replies, remembering how Ami told her about what occurred while she was under Naraku's spell. "Jupiter Crystal Power!"

Makoto transforms into Sailor Jupiter. She and Sailor Mercury begin using their powers to attack their walls.

"This is so unfair," whines Asuka, who has no Eva unit to turn to in order to knock down her wall. She looks over to see Toshiro pull out his zanpakuto.

"Bankai!" Toshiro yells.

At this point, it becomes a close race between Ami, Makoto and Toshiro, who all begin destroying their walls in a hurry. Sango's Hirakotsu is not quite as powerful as their attacks, thus pushing her further behind. Eventually, one of the walls falls, and Jet announces the winner.

"Toshiro wins immunity!" Jet shouts.

Kagome immediately hugs Toshiro, before he can get out of his Bankai form. He then finds Jet walking over to him to give him the Immunity Beads of Subjugation.

"Congratulations," Jet says. "You are safe in the next vote. A girl's going home tomorrow night."

The players head back to camp, but not before Toshiro, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter transform back into their normal selves.

Hakurei Tribe

"Great job, Toshiro!" Kagome says, congratulating the Soul Reaper.

"Yeah, yeah, it was nothing," Toshiro replies. "What I'm really concerned about is getting Asuka's vote."

"Do you think it's possible to just talk it out with Asuka, and that she'll listen?" Sango suggests.

"Highly unlikely, but we have to try," Toshiro responds. "And if she refuses, it's going to be an uncomfortable Tribal Council."

Kagome pulls at Toshiro's new necklace. "So, do you think you might want to… share?" she asks playfully.

"If I could, I would," Toshiro replies. "Maybe Jet would cancel out a couple votes if I cut this thing in half."

The two laugh with each other, but inside, both are very nervous that they are spending their last night together.

_"Ami made no secret that she wanted to vote out Kagome last time," Toshiro says. "She changed her mind after all that occurred, but I have a feeling she'll try it this time. All she would need is Asuka to vote with her alliance, and Kagome's gone."_

The couple tries to enjoy the night, staying up late, laughing and talking with each other. Each of them has a premonition that something bad is about to occur.

Day 30

Hakurei Tribe

_"Toshiro's winning immunity pretty much made the decision for us," Ami says. "We now are going to vote out Kagome, and hope to get Asuka on our side."_

Ami brings Makoto and Sasami over to her, where the three remaining members of the Jurai alliance have a talk alone.

"I screwed everything up, didn't I?" Makoto says with a sigh.

"It wasn't your fault, Makoto," Sasami replies sympathetically.

"We're just going to have to move on," Ami adds. "Whether we like it or not, we now need Asuka's help, in voting out Kagome."

"You sure we want to vote out Kagome, and not Sango?" Makoto asks.

"Kagome is very close to Toshiro, and also to Sango," Ami says. "If she were to make it very far, she'd have support from both of them."

"Is there any way we could convince them to vote out Asuka?" Makoto suggests.

Ami sighs. "We've tried that twice, and it didn't work either time," she says. "Now they're going to go after us, so we have to get Asuka to vote with us."

"I suggest having Sasami talking to Asuka," Makoto says. "She'd have the best chance of convincing her to go along with us."

Sasami looks worried. "Are you sure?" she asks.

"There's no way she'd agree with me," Ami says. "And probably not Makoto either… you're our only hope, Sasami."

"Okay," Sasami says. "I'll try."

But before Sasami talks with Asuka, the entire tribe meets together to eat an afternoon meal, with some of the very little food that they have remaining. The two opposing alliances pretend to be friendly with each other, although it is completely awkward between them.

"So, how are you feeling today, Makoto?" Toshiro asks, with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

"Just fine," Makoto replies, a little bit angry.

A few minutes later, Kagome gets up from the group.

"I'm not feeling too well," she says. "I'm going to go sit down for a while."

"Go ahead," Sango says.

However, once out of sight from the other players, Kagome sneaks over to see the belongings of the Jurai players. She sees a bag and opens it up, revealing exactly what she did not want to find- a plushie. She quickly runs back to where she had been resting earlier in the day.

_"Not what I wanted to see, but I guess it would have been worse if that was a secret," Kagome says. "Now we're going to have to adjust our voting strategies."_

Later, Kagome talks with the Seireitei alliance, telling them that she found a plushie in Ami's belongings.

"So she has the plushie," Toshiro comments.

"It may not be the real one," Sango suggests.

"Ami's a smart girl, I'm sure she wouldn't be fooled," Toshiro says.

"Well, we have to assume that it is the real thing," Kagome says. "And because of that, we have to choose to vote out Makoto or Sasami."

"I choose Makoto," Sango says. "Sasami doesn't seem like much of a threat, but Makoto won a couple of challenges recently."

"Yeah, I agree," Toshiro states. "I don't mind Sasami at all, but I'd be happy to see Makoto go."

"The trouble is, how are we going to get Asuka to vote out Makoto?" Kagome asks.

"One of us has to talk to her," Toshiro says. "And it can't be me… she hates me."

"I don't think she likes me either," Kagome says. "What about you, Sango?"

"Um… I guess," Sango replies. "I hope this will work."

So, about a half hour later, Asuka is greeted by not one but two fellow tribe members: Sasami and Sango. Sango is the first one to greet Asuka.

"What do you want?" Asuka snaps.

"I was hoping for you to help us," Sango replies. "We could really use your vote."

"What? So I'm just useful for my vote, and that's all?" Asuka says. "The rest of you couldn't care less about me until it's time to vote!"

"It could really help you," Sango says. "You don't know if Ami's going to go after you."

"I couldn't care less about Wonder Girl 2!" Asuka responds.

Sango sighs. She then turns around and sees Sasami standing there. She figures Sasami is there for the same reason she is.

"It's not worth it," Sango tells Sasami, before walking away.

"Um, Asuka…" Sasami says slowly.

"Yes?" Asuka replies.

"I was hoping that you would vote out Kagome," Sasami says.

"Just you, or your alliance too?" Asuka asks.

"Well, it wasn't just me…" Sasami begins to say.

"I knew it!" Asuka exclaims. "This is a plan hatched by that Wonder Girl 2, trying to get me to go along with her. Well I'm not buying it! Sorry, Sasami, but I'm going to make my own choice!"

"I understand," Sasami responds, walking away.

_"I don't understand what it is with these people," Asuka says. "They think I'm only good for my vote, but they refuse to speak to me any other time! I'm going to show them that Asuka Langley Soryu makes up her own mind, and follows no one!"_

Tribal Council

The seven players walk into the Tribal Council area, each carrying their torches. Each of them sets down his or her torch and takes a seat across from host Jet Black.

"We now bring in the members of our jury," Jet states. "Orihime, Shinji, and Tenchi, voted out last Tribal Council."

Out of the Bone-Eater's Well come a cheerful Orihime, a depressed Shinji, and an angry Tenchi. Makoto waves sympathetically at Tenchi, but he just scowls back at her.

"Let's get to what happened a couple days ago," Jet says. "Makoto, you weren't feeling yourself, but then, all of a sudden, you're back to normal. How is that?"

"I don't know, Jet, how is that?" Makoto retorts angrily. "Apparently I swallowed a jewel shard when eating at that reward, and it caused me to do things that I didn't want to do, like attacking Ami and voting off Tenchi."

Tenchi looks surprised at hearing this.

"What do you do now, having voted off a member of your own alliance?" Jet questions.

"It was very unfortunate," Makoto says. "But we've got to move on. We have to try to restore our alliance to power. It won't ever be the same without Tenchi, though."

Makoto smiles at Tenchi, who manages to smile back.

"Meanwhile, it was Asuka who won the reward this time, and she sent Ami into the depths of Mt. Hakurei," Jet states. "How was your experience there, Ami? Did you search for the immunity plushie?"

"It was a truly dreadful experience," Ami responds. "But I survived it, and I think I am better for doing so."

Jet notices how Ami conveniently avoided answering his second question. "So, Toshiro, you have the Immunity Beads of Subjugation. Of course that has to make you feel better tonight, but are you still concerned about the outcome of the vote?" he asks.

"Really, I feel just as nervous now as I would if I had not won immunity," Toshiro answers. "I've become really close to Kagome, and if she were to be voted out, it would feel to me like I had been voted out."

Kagome smiles warmly at Toshiro, grasping his hand.

"This has seemed to be a tribe divided," Jet states. "But as for you, Asuka, you haven't seemed to take sides. Is this an advantage or disadvantage to you?"

"It's a pain because everyone in this tribe pretends to be my friend only when they need my help," Asuka replies. "They couldn't care less about me otherwise. So I'm going to make them pay for treating me this way."

"But wouldn't it help you more if you were to take one side over the other, and thus gain some friends?" Jet asks.

"What are you, dense?" Asuka responds. "I'm not going to make any friends just with a vote! These people were ready to take me out several times. I don't trust them!"

"An interesting stance you're taking here," Jet states. "But by not taking one side, don't you risk everyone turning on you?"

"What, do you want me voted out?" Asuka snaps. "It's bad enough I've got these people hating me, I don't need you against me too!"

"Okay, okay!" Jet replies. "Toshiro, you have the Immunity Beads of Subjugation, but if you wish, you may give them to another player. What is your decision?"

Toshiro breathes deeply. "I've been a competitive person all my life," he says. "I've always wanted to win at everything. But until this competition, I've never realized that there are some things more important than winning."

He looks over at Kagome. "Kagome, if this is our last night together, I just want to say… I truly love you," he tells her.

Kagome blushes heavily. "I love you too, Toshiro," she replies.

The two then share a passionate kiss, with the rest of the tribe, as well as the jury, watching intently.

"Whoa, whoa!" Jet shouts. "I didn't ask you if you loved Kagome, I asked you if you wanted to give up the Immunity Beads of Subjugation! I need you to make up your mind, Toshiro!"

Toshiro reaches for the necklace, and pulls it off from around his neck. "I choose to give these beads to Kagome," he says.

"Thank you," Kagome replies, taking the Immunity Beads of Subjugation from Toshiro.

"I didn't expect someone to actually give up the Immunity Beads of Subjugation, but it has happened right here," Jet states. "Kagome, you are safe tonight. No one may vote for Kagome tonight. Everyone else is vulnerable. And with that, it is time to vote."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Ami gets up from her seat to vote.

Ami goes to vote.

Asuka goes to vote.

Kagome goes to vote.

_"Makoto, I realize that it wasn't you who caused all that trouble a few days ago, but because of our strategy, you're the one who we're voting for," Kagome says._

Makoto goes to vote.

_"Boy, are you stupid," Makoto says. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."_

Sango goes to vote.

Sasami goes to vote.

_"I was going to vote off Kagome, but since you gave her immunity, I am voting for you, Toshiro," Sasami says. "I'm sorry."_

Toshiro goes to vote.

After Toshiro comes back from voting, Jet tells the players, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet goes to the voting booth, looks at the votes, rearranges them, then puts them back in the urn, before returning to the players.

"If anyone has the immunity plushie and would like to play it, now would be the time to do so," Jet announces.

Toshiro shoots a glance over at Ami, who is not budging. Neither is Asuka, who visited Mt. Hakurei the time before Ami did.

"Okay," Jet says. "Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately. I'll read the votes. The first vote goes to… Makoto."

Makoto looks upset upon hearing her name, knowing instantly that she is the target of the Seireitei alliance.

"Toshiro," Jet says, pulling out the second vote.

Toshiro realizes that he is the target of the Jurai alliance after seeing this vote.

"Toshiro," Jet says. "Two votes Toshiro, one vote Makoto."

He pulls out the next vote.

"Makoto," Jet reads. "Two votes Toshiro, two votes Makoto."

The two alliances realize that the decision will come down to the final vote, making these next two votes predictable.

"Toshiro," Jet says. "Three votes Toshiro, two votes Makoto."

He pulls out the next vote slowly, smiling before he reads it, just enough to give Toshiro and Kagome the chills.

"Makoto," Jet states. "Three votes Toshiro, three votes Makoto, one vote left."

Jet pulls out the final vote and opens it very slowly.

"Ami," he says. "We have a tie between Toshiro and Makoto. We will take a revote, with Toshiro and Makoto not voting. But first, each of you may state your case to the tribe. Go ahead first, Toshiro."

Both Toshiro and Makoto realize that the only person whose vote matters is Asuka, so they tailor their speeches to her.

"Asuka, our alliance has tried to welcome you in several times," Toshiro says. "If you vote out Makoto, you'll remain in this game longer, as we'll pick off the other two Jurai players before even thinking about voting you off."

"And you, Makoto," Jet says.

"Asuka, if you vote out Toshiro, you'll leave the tribe with all girls," Makoto says. "It's your chance to get rid of the one remaining guy."

"Okay," Jet says. "It is time to revote."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Ami gets up from her seat.

Ami goes to vote.

_"Toshiro, you chose love over a chance to remain in this game," Ami says. "Hopefully Asuka chooses to take you out."_

Asuka goes to vote.

Kagome goes to vote.

_"Please, please, please vote for Makoto, Asuka," Kagome says._

Sango goes to vote.

Sasami goes to vote.

After Sasami comes back from the voting booth, Jet states, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet walks to the voting booth, looks at the votes, rearranges them, then returns to the rest of the tribe.

"Again, once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet says. "I'll read the votes. The first vote goes to… Makoto."

Makoto takes a deep breath.

"Toshiro," Jet reads the next vote.

Kagome holds on to Toshiro's hand intently.

"Toshiro," Jet says. "Two votes Toshiro, one vote Makoto."

Jet pulls out the next vote slowly.

"Makoto," Jet says. "Two votes Toshiro, two votes Makoto, one vote left."

At this point, both Makoto and Toshiro hold their breath. They look over at Asuka, seeing her give a cheeky smile. After treating her like an outcast, they know that they are now completely at her mercy.

"Tenth person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan, and the fourth member of our jury," Jet states.

He opens up the next vote extremely slowly, then shows it to the tribe.

"Makoto," Jet says.

Makoto sighs, while Kagome hugs Toshiro warmly. Ami and Sasami look on sadly as Makoto walks over to get her torch. Makoto then holds the torch in front of Jet.

"Makoto, the tribe has spoken," Jet says, snuffing out her torch. "It's time for you to go."

Makoto waves to Ami and Sasami, then hops into the Bone-Eater's Well.

"Amazing that after the way you treated a certain someone in this tribe, she is the one who held all the power tonight," Jet states, speaking about Asuka. "You can head back to camp."

The players grab their torches and walk back towards their camp, with the Seireitei tribe members feeling quite relieved.

_"This has certainly been a strange experience," Makoto says. "I think I've found a boyfriend, then I lose control of my mind, and soon enough, I find myself being eliminated. I hope Ami and Sasami can figure out a way out of this, or else it will be my fault that they get voted out next."_

(Who voted for whom:

Ami: Toshiro, Toshiro

Asuka: Ami, Makoto

Kagome: Makoto, Makoto

Makoto: Toshiro

Sango: Makoto, Makoto

Sasami: Toshiro, Toshiro

Toshiro: Makoto)

Scenes from our next episode:

_A terrible storm ravages the Hakurei camp:_

The players watch as the storm becomes worse. The heavy winds blow apart their shelter, while lightning flashes and thunder roars.

_There is more trouble for Asuka inside Mt. Hakurei:_

Asuka continues to try to escape from Naraku's demons, which are coming from his body, and trying to wrap her up and take her in.

_And an old nemesis is part of a challenge again:_

"Who's the assistant?" Sasami asks.

"Kagura," Jet replies, pointing to the wind sorceress, and causing a groan from the players.


	11. Fire and Rain: Days 31, 32, 33

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, riding in the helicopter with Jet

Ami Mizuno, fighting off demons in Mt. Hakurei

Sasami, trying to reason with Asuka

Toshiro Hitsugaya, destroying a wall with his zanpakuto

Sango, attacking a wall with her Hirakotsu

Kagome Higurashi, taking the Immunity Beads of Subjugation from Toshiro

And the jury:

Orihime Inoue, taking her seat at Tribal Council

Shinji Ikari, sitting at Tribal Council on the jury

Tenchi Masaki, looking surprised at Makoto's remarks

Makoto Kino, throwing up a tainted jewel shard

_Fire and Rain_

Day 31

Hakurei Tribe

_"This is amazing," Sango says. "Just a little while ago our little alliance had no chance against Ami and her friends. Now Ami is left with only Sasami on her side, and we three Seireitei people are still here. I can't believe it."_

Toshiro is sitting with Kagome and Sango, as they see some dark clouds coming over the sky this morning. Right now, nothing can put a damper on Toshiro's mood, as he is very happy to have survived the last vote.

_"Ami thought she had this game, and she was wrong," Toshiro says. "Now the tables have turned."_

"I'm so glad Asuka voted for Makoto and not you," Kagome tells Toshiro, resting her head on his shoulder. "I didn't ask you to give up immunity- you didn't have to."

"I know I didn't," Toshiro replies. "But I couldn't have lived with myself if I had allowed you to be voted out."

"Awww… that's so sweet," Kagome says, hugging him.

"All right, all right, enough of that!" Toshiro responds, looking quite embarrassed.

Meanwhile, it begins to rain. The players hear thunder off in the distance, and they decide to go inside the cave. All six of them squeeze their way inside the cave as they see the rain come down in a downpour.

"This is the worst weather we've seen since we've been here," Ami comments.

"If it gets much worse, that shelter isn't going to hold up," Sango remarks, looking at the small shelter they had built, which is starting to shake from heavy winds.

"Ryo-ohki's hungry," Sasami says. "Do we have any food for her?"

"Actually, I think Wonder Girl 2 ate the last of the food last night," Asuka states.

"What?!" Toshiro yells.

"I saw her, in the middle of the night," Asuka says. "There she was, sneaking over to the last bit of rice we had left, then putting it over the fire and cooking it. She couldn't care less about the rest of us, as she ate the rest of our food."

"Is this true?" Toshiro asks Ami.

Ami sighs. "Yes," she states. "I'm sorry… I felt depressed over Makoto being voted out… and there wasn't enough food for everyone anyway."

Toshiro groans. "Just what we need, to be out of food, and to have this terrible storm going on," he whines.

The players watch as the storm becomes worse. As Sango predicted, the heavy winds blow apart their shelter, while lightning flashes and thunder roars. The storm goes on for several hours, and the players begin to wonder what is going to happen about the reward challenge.

"Where is that stupid host?" Asuka grumbles. "If he would show up, maybe we'd be able to get out of this storm."

The players then notice Jet Black standing outside the entrance to the cave, holding an umbrella.

"Come on out, guys!" he says.

This is met by a collective groan by the contestants, who soon realize that Jet intends on having them compete in a reward challenge in the middle of this storm. Jet leads them down the mountain to the site of the reward challenge.

"Welcome to today's reward challenge," he announces. "This weather is miserable, isn't it? Well, in this challenge, you'll have to weather the storm and attempt to keep your focus as you try to stay on top of a rolling log as long as possible. All of you will stand on the same giant log, which will begin turning as I turn a crank. It will start out slow, but pick up speed. The one of you who is able to stay on the log the longest wins reward. Want to know what you're playing for?"

"It better be worth playing for," Toshiro mutters.

"The winner will get an exclusive visit to Naraku's castle," Jet states. "Now before you get worried, Naraku is not at his castle at the moment, due to some sort of problem he says he is having. You will get to rest in his castle, while eating a couple of meals. Most importantly, you'll be out of this storm. Worth playing for?"

"Yes!" several players yell.

"Also, the winning player will select one player to spend the next day in the depths of Mt. Hakurei, where there may be no thunder and lightning, but lots of demons, and possibly an immunity plushie," Jet says. "Now all of you, stand on top of the log, and wait for my go."

The players climb on top of the giant log, with the rain still pouring down upon them. They then prepare to keep their balance.

"Survivors ready!" Jet shouts. "Go!"

Jet begins to turn the crank, and the log begins to roll slowly. All the players are able to keep their balance on the log at first, but as Jet adds a little speed to it, Ami slips and falls off the log, right into a puddle of mud.

"Ami is out of the challenge!" Jet screams, while continuing to turn the crank.

The players begin to jog in place in order to keep their balance. However, after about a minute, Kagome slips and falls off the log.

"Kagome, you're out!" Jet yells.

The log begins to turn faster and faster. Sango and Asuka end up both simultaneously falling off the log.

"Only two remain!" Jet shouts.

Jet begins turning the crank faster and faster, but neither Toshiro nor Sasami falls off the log. He then suddenly stops the crank, and the log comes to an abrupt stop. Toshiro ends up stumbling off the log, while Sasami barely is able to keep her balance and remain on the log.

"Sasami wins reward!" Jet yells.

Sasami hops off the log with joy, then runs over to Ryo-ohki. "We won, Ryo-ohki!" she exclaims happily. "We're going to get food!"

"Sasami," Jet says, "you must choose one player to go into the depths of Mt. Hakurei. Who's it gonna be?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings," Sasami says. "I don't know…"

Ami, Toshiro, Kagome and Sango then all point at Asuka.

"I guess Asuka," Sasami says.

"All right, Asuka, you're headed back inside Mt. Hakurei," Jet tells Asuka, who rolls her eyes. "My assistant Sabrina will lead you there."

"Sabrina?" Asuka asks, not seeing anyone by that name.

Suddenly Sabrina, the psychic Pokémon gym leader from Saffron City, appears before her.

"Come on, let's go," Sabrina states in a solemn voice.

Sabrina leads Asuka off towards the entrance to the depths of Mt. Hakurei.

"I'm going to take Sasami to her reward," Jet says. "The rest of you, I got nothing for you. You can head back to camp."

The contestants trudge back towards their camp, while it continues to storm.

Hakurei Tribe

Toshiro, Kagome, Sango and Ami sit down inside the cave, still soaking wet from the reward challenge, while also very hungry.

"Very nice of Jet to only offer the reward to one player," Kagome complains.

"At least we got rid of Asuka," Ami remarks.

"I think the tables have turned here," Toshiro tells Ami. "Remember when your alliance was in power? Now we have the power in this tribe, and we're going to choose between you and Sasami on who to vote out next."

"Why not Asuka?" Ami asks. "If you vote her out, then you could still take out one of us afterward."

"No reason to delay things," Toshiro replies. "Besides, she may have the plushie."

Ami snickers. "I seriously doubt that," she says.

"Why is that?" Sango asks. "Do you have it?"

"I'm not telling you that," Ami says. "But I can tell you that your best bet is to go after her, and not Sasami or myself."

"Look, we know you have the plushie," Toshiro states. "You can show it to us. We know it's in your possession."

Ami gasps. "Fine," she retorts, opening up her bag and pulling out her plushie. "Want to examine it to see if it's the real one?"

Toshiro snatches the plushie out of Ami's hands and reaches into its mouth. "This will tell for sure," he says.

He pulls out a small green pebble. "What is that?" Kagome asks.

"Soul Candy," Toshiro responds. "It's what Kon stores inside his mouth to help a substitute Soul Reaper like Ichigo Kurosaki transform into his Soul Reaper self."

He then punches the plushie in the stomach, and it lets out a muffled groan.

"Jet must have told this thing to keep quiet, but as hard as it tries, it can't," Toshiro says. "I guess we have every reason to believe you've got the real deal here."

He tosses the plushie back to Ami. "So you have the immunity plushie," he tells her. "That just means that Sasami is our next target."

_"This is stranger than I expected," Ami says. "I thought that if they found out I had the plushie, it would hurt my strategy, but in reality, it might end up helping, because they'll be too scared to vote me out."_

Kagome turns to Toshiro. "Don't you suppose that perhaps Sasami deserves to stay longer than Asuka?" she questions him.

"Maybe she deserves it, but I think we have to weaken Ami's alliance right away," Toshiro responds.

"You'd be making a mistake," Ami says. "Keeping Asuka around could just lead to trouble down the road."

"I don't see it," Toshiro replies. "I think our strategy is fool-proof."

Inside Mt. Hakurei

Asuka, wearing her Eva plugsuit, tiptoes into the scary depths of Mt. Hakurei. She finds a spot among a few giant rocks and sits down, hoping to hide from the demons and just rest.

_"What those stupid people don't realize is that I've got the immunity plushie right here with me, in my Eva suit," Asuka says. "And if Wonder Girl 2 or that white-haired pipsqueak decides that they want to vote me out, I'll just surprise them all with this thing."_

She then slowly falls asleep, not realizing the danger that is lurking around her…

Reward

"Congratulations, Sasami!" Jet says, leading her into Naraku's castle. "This is your reward!"

He shows her a room where a feast is waiting, including a large number of carrots. "We made sure that your pet would be happy too," he adds.

"Meow!" Ryo-ohki exclaims happily, jumping after the carrots.

"Oh, thank you, Jet!" Sasami tells the host, before going over to begin her meal.

_"I'm so happy!" Sasami says. "I was so hungry, and so was Ryo-ohki, but now we get to eat. I almost wish we could stay here until it's time to go home."_

Inside Mt. Hakurei

Asuka is awakened from her nap by snake-like demons, which are trying to pull her. She fights back against them, trying to escape from their grasp, but they have latched onto her legs, and they slowly pull her in one direction.

"Get off me!" she screams.

She then sees a horrifying sight: a man's head with long hair, connected to a large mass of demons, which apparently make up his body.

"These things are trying to suck me in too!" she yells.

With all her might, she pushes the demons off her legs, then begins to run away. The demons fly after her, forcing Asuka to be constantly on the run, as she tries to escape the demons' grasp.

Hakurei Tribe

"Has the storm ended yet?" Kagome asks.

"Nope," Sango replies. "It's still raining very hard."

"That means there's no time to search for food," Ami sighs. "We're going to have to starve tonight."

"Don't worry, we girls can make it," Kagome says. "I'm just worried about Toshiro- a little guy like him may not be able to survive without food."

Toshiro crosses his arms and begins to pout, while the girls all laugh at him.

_"I may be small, but my brains are big, and they're going to help me win this thing," Toshiro says._

Day 32

Reward

Sasami wakes up from her bed in the castle to find a couple of unexpected visitors: Kanna and Kagura.

"It seems we have a guest," Kagura says.

"Naraku will not be pleased," Kanna says.

"Who are you?" Sasami asks nervously.

"We live here- whether we like it or not," Kagura replies. "Now you shall be blown away!"

Kagura takes out her fan, about to send a wind attack towards Sasami. But as she does, Sasami picks up Ryo-ohki and tosses her into the air, causing Sasami to turn into a spaceship. This leaves Naraku's incarnations in shock, as Ryo-ohki bursts out of the castle, with Sasami inside.

"Thank you, Ryo-ohki!" Sasami says.

Ryo-ohki's face appears on the many screens, meowing in approval.

"Now take us back to the mountain where the rest of the tribe is," Sasami tells Ryo-ohki.

Inside Mt. Hakurei

Asuka continues to try to escape from Naraku's demons, which are coming from his body, and trying to wrap her up and take her in.

"Get away from me, you creep!" Asuka screams.

Naraku laughs. "You won't escape me," he says.

A demon wraps around Asuka's left leg, then another one slithers around her right arm.

"Get off me!" Asuka shrieks, trying to fight the demons with all her might.

The demons begin to pull Asuka in towards Naraku's body, and she winces as she is brought closer and closer to him. However, right as she is about to be taken in, the demons suddenly let go of her and slip back into Naraku's body. She sighs as she sees them all disappear into Naraku.

"I sense problems back at my castle," Naraku says. "Excuse me while I take care of them."

He suddenly teleports away, leaving Asuka relieved to have escaped his demons.

Hakurei Tribe

The Hakurei tribe members have gathered some fruit from trees near the mountain, and now they are eating some of it. They are interrupted by what appears to be a young girl with pigtails, but upon looking at her closer…

"She's all wrinkled!" Ami exclaims.

"My name is Kiyoko, but that is not important," the girl says. "Here, take this note."

Sango takes the note, before Kiyoko disappears.

"Did she say Kikyo?" Kagome asks.

"You have selective hearing, Kagome," Sango jokes. "Let's see what poem we have this time:

If you wish to stay alive

And be part of the final five

You'll have to win immunity

By staying in a fragile tree."

"A tree?" Toshiro says. "Is this another one of those balancing acts?"

"I think so," Ami replies.

_"And I hope so," Ami says. "I think I can win immunity if it requires some sort of balance and endurance, rather than strength."_

The players go back to eating their fruit, when they see something gigantic flying in the air towards them, and not seeming to slow down at all.

"What is that?!" Sango screams.

"Everyone get in the cave!" Toshiro yells.

The players rush into the cave, just in time to avoid Ryo-ohki crashing into the side of the mountain. They then run outside to see what crashed into the mountain, but all they see is the cabbit form of Ryo-ohki standing next to Sasami.

"What happened?" Kagome asks.

"Oh, Ryo-ohki just took me back here," Sasami responds.

The other players just stare at each other, not knowing what to say. They just shake their heads and go to work on trying to rebuild their shelter.

Inside Mt. Hakurei

_"Oh, when will this end?" Asuka says. "I hate being in here. This is the one time I wouldn't mind seeing the face of that stupid-looking host!"_

Asuka sits down on a rock. She begins to think about all of her time in this game. What was it good for? She had been embarrassed by Rei Ayanami, then betrayed by Shinji. She took sweet revenge on Shinji, but the result was not having a single person who sympathized with her. Surely she would have no chance at winning a jury vote, which would decide the game's winner. So what was there left to play for?

_"My only choice is to make these others' lives as miserable as possible," Asuka says. "That way, they'll pay for treating me like they have."_

Immunity Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet shouts.

The five Hakurei tribe members besides Asuka walk into the challenge area.

"We now bring in Asuka, from the depths of Mt. Hakurei," Jet says.

Asuka is led by the Esper Kiyoko to the challenge area. Kiyoko then disappears, much to the relief of the tribe.

"So, Asuka, do any searching for the immunity plushie?" Jet asks.

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka replies. "I didn't have any time to do that, with that demon trying to kill me!"

"That's a shame," Jet responds. "Anyway, first things first, I'll take back the Immunity Beads of Subjugation. Sit!"

Kagome slams to the ground, allowing Jet to take the beads off her neck.

"That hurts… maybe I shouldn't do that so much to InuYasha anymore," Kagome says.

"All right, once again, immunity is back up for grabs," Jet states. "Let's get to today's immunity challenge. This tree you see before you has six branches. Each of you will climb the tree and sit on one of the branches. You will then have to hold on to your branch as my assistant blows some fierce winds at you. The last person remaining on their branch, still connected to the tree, wins immunity and a guaranteed 1-in-5 shot at winning this game."

"Who's the assistant?" Sasami asks.

"Kagura," Jet replies, pointing to the wind sorceress, and causing a groan from the players.

The contestants climb up into the tree and get onto their specific branches.

"For immunity!" Jet shouts. "Survivors ready, go!"

The players hang onto their branches as Kagura begins sending harsh winds in their direction. All of the players are pretty light, so they do not put too much weight on the branches. However, this also is a disadvantage, as they can be blown easier by the winds with their light weights. Ami is the first one to fall off the tree, as a gust of wind takes her right off the branch and to the ground.

"Ami is out of the challenge!" Jet announces.

Kagura sends wind at the players for the next 15 minutes, but no one falls off the tree during that time.

"Asuka, I don't think you're going to make it much longer," Toshiro taunts Asuka.

"Why not?" Asuka asks.

"Trust me, you won't," Toshiro says.

"I'm sure I-" Asuka begins to say, before slipping and falling off the branch.

"Asuka is out of the challenge!" Jet shouts, while Toshiro laughs, and Asuka gives Toshiro a cold look.

While this is going on, Kagome starts to feel her branch crack. She tries to wiggle her way closer to the trunk, in order to put less weight on it, but it is too late, as the branch cracks, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Kagome, you're out!" Jet yells.

A half-hour goes by before another player falls off the tree. That player is Sango, who is finally edged off the tree by a large gust of wind.

"Sango, out of this challenge!" Jet announces.

Toshiro and Sasami both hold onto their branches tightly as more harsh winds come at them. Their branches shake, and they even begin to crack a little bit. After about 10 minutes, it is Toshiro's branch that cracks, sending him to the ground.

"Sasami wins immunity!" Jet shouts.

Sasami leaps off her branch with joy, running over to Ryo-ohki, who was watching the challenge next to Jet.

"Congratulations, Sasami, this is for you," Jet says, putting the Immunity Beads of Subjugation around her neck. "You are safe from tonight's vote, provided you do not give away these beads. As for the rest of you, someone's going home, and you've got tomorrow to figure out who that's gonna be. You can head back to camp."

The players walk back towards their camp, with Sasami skipping happily with Ryo-ohki.

Hakurei Tribe

_"With Sasami's victory, we're left with little choice," Toshiro says. "We either risk that Ami has a fake immunity plushie and vote for her, or vote for Asuka, provided we don't find her to have a plushie too."_

"Asuka, why don't you take off that red suit?" Kagome asks. "That has to be uncomfortable."

"Excuse me?" Asuka replies. "I am proud to wear an Eva suit! It means that I am pilot of Eva Unit 02, something no one else can say! I will wear it with pride!"

"Oh, okay," Kagome responds, looking a little flustered.

Toshiro and Sango spend most of the evening working on rebuilding the shelter. Kagome and Ami also help out, although they are not able to build as well as Toshiro and Sango. By the time it is dark, the shelter is good enough for the tribe to sleep under it.

"Good night, Toshiro," Kagome says.

"Good night, Kagome," Toshiro replies.

The two kiss, then begin to wonder if this is indeed their final night together.

Day 33

Hakurei Tribe

"Ryo-ohki!"

The tribe members are upset at Sasami's cabbit, after she ate all of the fruit that they had collected while Sasami was away on the reward.

"Ryo-ohki, you can't eat all our food, even if you are hungry," Sasami scolds her cabbit.

"That cabbit is bad news," the plugsuit-wearing Asuka says. "It always is causing trouble around here."

"Ryo-ohki's sorry, right, Ryo-ohki?" Sasami says.

"Meow," Ryo-ohki says sadly.

"Well, we'll be hunting for fruit again," Ami says. "And I think you should help, Sasami, since it was your cabbit."

"Okay," Sasami replies.

"You too, Asuka," Ami adds.

"Why?" Asuka responds angrily.

"Because you weren't here yesterday when we collected the first batch of food," Ami reasons.

Asuka sighs. "Fine," she says, hoping this will help her standing within the tribe.

Ami, Sasami and Asuka walk down the mountain, to go look for some trees with fruit on them. While they do this, Toshiro quickly runs over to Asuka's bag, and begins searching through it. He does not find a plushie in the bag.

"Does she have it?" Kagome asks, as Toshiro returns to her and Sango.

"No," Toshiro says.

"Then does this mean we'll vote her off tonight?" Sango asks.

"I guess so," Toshiro replies. "We know Ami has a plushie, which could be the real thing, or a fake. And it's always possible that she'll get arrogant and refuse to play it. But it also would seem to be smarter to vote out Asuka… we'll have to think this out."

While Ami and Sasami are collecting fruit, Ami whispers the name of the person she wants to vote out to Sasami.

"Really?" Sasami asks.

"Yes," Ami responds.

"Okay," Sasami says, not understanding Ami's reasoning. "But wait!"

"What is it?" Ami asks.

"There's only two of us," Sasami says. "If we don't get Asuka to vote with us, Toshiro and those two girls will vote you out."

"Trust me, I will not be voted out tonight," Ami replies. "I have it all figured out."

Sasami looks at Ami suspiciously, but decides not to say anything, trusting her judgment. They and Asuka then return to the rest of the tribe with the food that they collected, and they eat some of it, while thinking carefully about their upcoming votes.

_"I don't know if Ami's got the right idea with this vote," Sasami says. "I think it would be better if we voted for someone else, but she's my friend, so I'm going to stick with her."_

That evening, only about half an hour before Tribal Council, Toshiro pulls Kagome aside, into the cave. There he decides to have a very serious talk with her.

"Kagome, we've become very close to each other during our time together," Toshiro says. "How long has it been?"

"Thirty-three days, I think," Kagome replies.

"Wow," Toshiro says. "Every day I've been here, I've hoped to stretch it out as long as possible… just to extend my time with you."

Kagome smiles warmly at him.

"I'm just concerned…" Toshiro says, "that our time together… may be over… forever."

"Don't say that, Toshiro," Kagome replies.

"It's true, though," Toshiro responds. "If something goes wrong tonight and one of us gets voted out, we may be separated for good, only to see each other at the jury."

"But Toshiro…" Kagome says, as she begins to cry.

"Kagome, I live in the Soul Society, completely separate from the world of the living," Toshiro tells her. "I wish I could stay with you forever, but I know I can't."

"Toshiro… I want to be with you," Kagome says, wiping away tears, "…if I could only have one wish, that would be it."

Toshiro sighs. "I wish I could make that come true," he says. "The truth is, I don't know how."

"We can find a way," Kagome says. "Somehow, I know we can."

Tribal Council

The tribe members walk into Tribal Council, with their torches ablaze. They set them down in their respective places, then sit down across from host Jet Black.

"We'll now bring in the members of our jury," Jet says.

The jury members begin to climb out of the Bone-Eater's Well.

"Orihime, Shinji, Tenchi," Jet says, "and voted out last Tribal Council, Makoto."

Makoto waves at Ami, who waves back.

"Thirty-three days together," Jet states. "I'm sure you've learned about each other over this time. What would you say about that, Kagome?"

Kagome, who had just stopped crying, tries to stop from tearing up again. "I've learned a lot about others, and myself," she says. "I didn't expect what I've experienced during my time here. It's been pretty amazing."

She smiles at Toshiro, holding on to his hand.

"As for you, Asuka," Jet says, "you've had a much rougher time around here. You've been in the depths of that mountain twice. How does it feel to be on the outs of your tribe?"

"What do you think, stupid?" snaps Asuka, who is still wearing her plugsuit. "Do you think it would be fun being hated by everyone?"

"This storm was a real trial for all of you, to see how well you could work together under pressure," Jet states. "Obviously, you held up pretty well together as a tribe. Does that mean that you're closer to each other now than you were before, Ami?"

"I don't know exactly how close everyone is to each other in this tribe," Ami says. "Obviously some people are closer to each other than others, but when it ultimately comes down to it, there is still some separation, and that's what can make these votes unpredictable."

"Unpredictable certainly is the word," Jet says. "Before we get to tonight's vote, I have to ask Sasami: would you like to give up your Immunity Beads of Subjugation to anyone else?"

"No thank you," Sasami answers politely.

"Okay," Jet says. "No one may vote for Sasami. Someone else is going home, and we're about to find out who that's going to be. It is time to vote. Ami, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Ami gets up from her seat on her way to the voting booth.

Ami goes to vote.

Asuka goes to vote.

_"This vote's for Wonder Girl 2, who I hope will finally be gone after tonight," Asuka says._

Kagome goes to vote.

_"I hope this works," Kagome says._

Sango goes to vote.

Sasami goes to vote.

Toshiro goes to vote.

_"I know I've had it with you, and this vote should make it official, that you're out of here," Toshiro says._

Once Toshiro comes back from voting, Jet says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet goes to the voting booth, gathers the votes, and returns to the players.

"If anyone has the immunity plushie, and would like to play it, now would be the time to do so," Jet states.

Jet pauses. The players look around at each other, but no one makes a move.

"Okay," Jet says.

"Wait!" a voice screams.

The voice is of Asuka Langley Soryu, who reaches into her plugsuit to pull out a plushie. She then tosses the plushie to Jet.

"The rules of Survivor: Feudal Japan state that if the immunity plushie is played, any votes cast against that person do not count, and the person with the next highest number of votes is eliminated," Jet announces. "This is _not_ the immunity plushie."

Asuka looks on in shock as Jet tosses the plushie into the fire blazing in the middle of the Tribal Council area. The jury members snicker a little bit as they watch Asuka's expression.

"Ow! Ow! I'm on fire! Get me out of here!" a familiar voice shouts.

This voice is of Kon, the plushie that was thrown into the fire, who jumps up out of the fire and runs out of the Tribal Council area, trying to find some water.

"I beg your pardon, that _is_ the immunity plushie!" Jet says, much to Asuka's delight. "Asuka, none of the votes cast against you tonight will count."

The tribe looks over at Asuka in surprise, while she simply smiles back at them.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet says. "I'll read the votes. The first vote is for… Asuka. Does not count."

Asuka smiles upon seeing Jet discard the vote.

"Asuka," Jet says, reading the next vote. "Does not count."

Jet pulls out the next vote.

"Asuka," he reads the next vote. "Does not count."

Asuka is looking thrilled, while the rest of her tribe is looking very nervous.

"Ami," Jet says, reading the fourth vote.

He pulls out the next vote and opens it very slowly.

"Toshiro," Jet reads the vote. "One vote Ami, one vote Toshiro, one vote left."

Kagome grabs Toshiro's hand and clasps it tightly. Both of them look very nervous as Jet pulls out the final vote, opening it slower than ever.

"Eleventh person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan, and the fifth member of our jury," Jet says.

He finally opens the vote for the tribe to see.

"Toshiro," Jet says. "That's two, that's enough. You need to bring me your torch."

Toshiro gets up from his seat, sighing heavily, while Kagome begins to cry.

"Toshiro…" Kagome says. "I love you."

"I love you too, Kagome," Toshiro replies, kissing her. "I'll be rooting for you."

Toshiro then walks over to his torch, picks it up, and holds it out in front of Jet.

"Toshiro," Jet says, before Toshiro cuts him off.

"Refer to me as Captain Hitsugaya, not Toshiro," Toshiro tells him.

"It's not going to change this fact," Jet says, snuffing out his torch. "The tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

Toshiro waves to Kagome, who manages to wave back through her tears. He then hops into the Bone-Eater's Well.

"I bet some of you wish Asuka hadn't been sent into Mt. Hakurei now," Jet says. "Too late now. You can head back to camp."

The five females get up and pick up their blazing torches, then walk back to camp.

_"This game taught me something about life," Toshiro says. "It taught me that there are more important things than winning, fighting and conquering. At first all I wanted was to win it all, but after a while, all I wanted was to prolong my time with Kagome. I hope you win, Kagome, but more importantly, I hope we can find a way to be together."_

(Who voted for whom:

Ami- Toshiro

Asuka- Ami

Kagome- Asuka

Sango- Asuka

Sasami- Toshiro

Toshiro- Asuka)

Scenes from our next episode:

_Ami hatches a plan which involves turning on Sasami:_

"Ami wants to help us," Sango mentions to Kagome. "She wants us to vote out Sasami."

_The immunity plushie returns, but in what way?:_

Jet holds out Kon, who looks perfectly new.

_And Toshiro also returns:_

"It feels like forever since I last saw you, Toshiro!" Kagome exclaims.

"It's been… less than a day," the embarrassed Toshiro replies.


	12. Lies: Days 34, 35, 36

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, being attacked by demons

Ami Mizuno, slipping into a puddle of mud

Sasami, standing in the spaceship form of Ryo-ohki

Sango, falling off a tree

Kagome Higurashi, crashing to the ground

And the jury:

Orihime Inoue

Shinji Ikari

Tenchi Masaki

Makoto Kino

Toshiro Hitsugaya

_Lies_

Day 34

Hakurei Tribe

_"I don't understand what happened," Sango says. "I thought that our alliance was in control… but we wake up today to find ourselves without Toshiro."_

This morning, Sango goes over to Ami, hoping to receive an answer to what occurred the night before. To her surprise, Ami is entirely honest with her.

"After you guys saw my plushie and thought it was the real one, I knew you wouldn't vote for me," Ami tells Sango. "So I knew that I wouldn't even have to play it last night. I was surprised to find out that it wasn't the real one."

"I thought it made noises when Toshiro squeezed it," Sango replies. "And didn't it have that candy in its mouth?"

Ami pulls out the lifeless Kon replica. "I guess it was designed to make noise when it is squeezed," she says, squeezing the plushie, hearing it make a few more squeaking noises. "It was very well made, to fool us like that. I'm lucky that it did fool your alliance."

"Poor Kagome…" Sango remarks, looking in the distance at her friend, who is sitting by herself sadly. "She was so attached to Toshiro."

"I'm sorry about that," Ami responds. "I had to make a choice, and it had to be one of you three."

She then looks at Sango seriously.

"I need your help," she says.

"In what way?" Sango asks.

"You understand that the winner of this game is decided by the jury of players we voted out, right?" Ami says.

"Yes…" Sango answers.

"Well, in that case, we're all in trouble, if Sasami makes it to the end of the game," Ami states. "Sasami will likely beat any of us in a jury vote, because she's so innocent-looking."

Sango pauses. "You're right," she responds. "I didn't think of that before."

"Which is why I need your help in voting her out," Ami says.

"But aren't you two in an alliance together?" Sango asks.

"At this point in the game, you can't just rely on alliances to carry yourself through," Ami replies. "If Sasami remains in this game, she will likely win it."

A couple hours later, while relaxing on the mountainside, Sango begins to talk with Kagome.

"Ami wants to help us," Sango mentions to Kagome.

"Ami…?" Kagome replies, surprised.

"She wants us to vote out Sasami," Sango says.

"Oh…" Kagome responds. "But… isn't that just in order to save herself?"

"She thinks Sasami would win a jury vote at the end of the game, so she should be eliminated now," Sango says.

"I see," Kagome replies. "I was thinking we should vote out Ami, because we're likely to get help from Asuka."

"But we'd get help from Ami if we voted out Sasami," Sango comments.

"This is so confusing," Kagome says. "I just wish Toshiro was here…"

Reward Challenge

"Come on in, guys!"

The players groan upon hearing Jet Black's latest welcome, as they enter the reward challenge area. At this point, they are all hungry and tired, and a demanding challenge is not something any of them are looking forward to.

"First things first," Jet says, "an update on the immunity plushie."

He holds out Kon, who looks perfectly new.

"My assistant, the Quincy Uryu Ishida, managed to fix the immunity plushie," Jet states. "However, we won't be using the immunity plushie for the rest of the game."

He then tosses Kon into a nearby river.

"Help! Help! Plushies can't swim!" Kon screams as the waves take him away.

"Now, on to today's reward challenge," Jet says. "We have a star-shaped platform, on which all of you will stand on one of the ends. By pressing a button, I will make the platform will continuously tilt in different directions, putting you all in danger of falling off. The one of you who can keep her balance and remain on the platform the longest wins reward. Want to know what you're playing for?"

"Yes," the players reply.

"As this is our final reward challenge, you will be receiving something special," Jet explains. "The winner of this challenge will have the right to choose any person they wish to join them on a feast near some hot springs. Yes, that means anyone, not just necessarily another player in this game. This is a chance to see someone you haven't seen for a while, if you so choose. Worth playing for?"

"Yeah!" the competitors respond.

"Okay, let's get to it," Jet says. "Get on the platform, and wait for my go."

The players board the platform, waiting for Jet's signal.

"Survivors ready?" Jet announces. "Go!"

Jet pushes a button, causing the platform to begin to tilt in various directions, randomly switching the direction of tilt after every few seconds. The first to lose her balance is Asuka, who falls off the platform and out of the challenge.

"Asuka's out!" Jet yells.

It does not take long for Ami to join her, as she slips and falls off the platform only half a minute later. And soon Sasami slips off as well, leaving only Kagome and Sango on the platform.

"Sango…" Kagome says.

"Yes?" Sango replies.

"I really want to see Toshiro…" Kagome pleads.

"I understand," Sango says. She then hops off the platform, giving the challenge to Kagome.

"Kagome wins reward!" Jet shouts.

Ami and Asuka stare at Sango indignantly, feeling it was unfair for her to simply throw the challenge. Meanwhile, Kagome hops off the platform and runs over to Jet.

"Toshiro! Toshiro! I want to see Toshiro!" she exclaims.

"Which Toshiro?" Jet asks jokingly.

"You know…" Kagome replies.

"Okay, okay, come with me," Jet says. "The rest of you, I got nothing for you. You can head back to camp."

Hakurei Tribe

"Boy, that was stupid," Asuka complains. "We put all our effort into that challenge, and we don't get victory handed to us like she did. Would you have given the reward to me?"

"You have to admit, Sango, that wasn't very fair," Ami adds.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Sango exclaims. "I just wanted to make my friend happy."

_"It appears that boomerang girl and her friend are going to get special perks around here," Asuka says. "I don't get any such perks. But if my vote is the deciding one, one of them may get an unwelcome surprise."_

Reward

Jet Black leads Kagome to Toshiro, who is waiting for her inside a small village house, where a feast has been prepared for them. They immediately embrace upon seeing each other.

"It feels like forever since I last saw you, Toshiro!" Kagome exclaims.

"It's been… less than a day," the embarrassed Toshiro replies.

The two begin to eat the meal, while Jet leaves them alone.

"So, how have things been for you ever since you were voted out?" Kagome asks.

"Uh… I didn't even have enough time to get back to the Soul Society," Toshiro responds. "Jet told me there was a chance I would be needed back tonight, so I stayed in the city you call Tokyo for the night."

"Oh, okay," Kagome says.

"What's more important is what's going on with you," Toshiro states. "What's happened since I left?"

"Well, Ami's talked with Sango, and she says that she wants to vote out Sasami, because Sasami is extremely popular with the jury," Kagome explains.

Toshiro shakes his head. "Ami's just trying to save her own butt!" he exclaims. "She knows that Asuka would vote her out, so she's in danger. She'd rather turn on her own friend than go out with dignity."

"What should I do, then?" Kagome asks.

"Vote out Ami," Toshiro says. "She deserves to be voted out the most, even more than Asuka."

Later in the evening, Kagome and Toshiro go into the hot springs. Kagome motions for Toshiro to join her deeper into the water, but he refuses.

"What's the matter, Toshiro?" Kagome asks.

She then looks closer at the embarrassed Toshiro.

"Oh, I forgot…" Kagome says. "This water is too deep for someone as short as you!"

Toshiro crosses his arms, beginning to pout. "That was a cheap shot," he remarks.

The two then later are given rooms in the house for the night, where Kagome enjoys a nice sleep under a roof for the last time in this game.

Day 35

Hakurei Tribe

_"I wonder who I'm supposed to vote off next," Sasami says. "Ami hasn't told me yet."_

This morning, Sasami is brought aside by Ami. Both of them are eating some fruit that they picked the previous evening.

"Sasami, I really think our next target must be Asuka," Ami states.

"Really?" Sasami replies. "But I thought you wanted to vote off the Seireitei alliance."

"The Seireitei alliance is through," Ami says. "There are only two of them, just like there are only two of us. They no longer have the power in the game. We need to vote out Asuka while we can."

"Okay, then," Sasami responds.

She skips away to begin playing with Ryo-ohki.

_"Sasami is the perfect person to be in my alliance," Ami says. "So naïve. She won't see this one coming."_

Asuka and Sango both are relaxing during the early afternoon hours, preparing for the immunity challenge. Both of them feel their best strategy for preparation is to simply rest.

_"I know this one's a big one," Asuka says. "If I don't come through with a win in this challenge, I don't have a plushie to rescue me."_

_"In case Ami's lying to us and planning to vote out either Kagome or me, we've both got to try hard in the challenge," Sango says. "We saw what happened to Toshiro, and we don't want that to happen to us."_

Immunity Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet Black shouts.

The four players walk into the immunity challenge area.

"We'll now bring in Kagome, fresh off her relaxing time on her reward," Jet announces.

Kagome joins the tribe, and she immediately goes over and hugs Sango. Meanwhile, Sasami quickly makes her way over to Jet and takes off the Immunity Beads of Subjugation, handing them over to him.

"Don't worry, I wasn't going to make you sit," Jet says with a laugh. "But anyway, once again, immunity is back up for grabs."

The players watch Jet intently, waiting for his explanation of the challenge's rules.

"Let's get to today's immunity challenge," Jet says. "Today's challenge will require the most precise aim, as each of you will be shooting a bow and arrow at colored targets. Each of you has a different color, blue for Ami, purple for Sasami, green for Kagome, yellow for Sango and red for Asuka. The first of you to connect with all three targets will win immunity and a 1-in-4 shot at being the sole Survivor."

Sango laughs. "This is your perfect opportunity, Kagome," she whispers to her friend.

The players line up after Jet randomly chooses the order they will go in. Kagome ends up as the first shooter.

"You may begin this challenge," Jet tells Kagome.

Kagome takes the bow and gets ready to take her shot. But just as she is about to shoot, an image of Kikyo enters her mind. Just the thought of Kikyo is enough to distract Kagome, and she misses very badly. Asuka laughs as Kagome goes to the back of the line.

"Next up, Sango," Jet says.

Sango takes the bow and perfectly shoots one of her yellow targets.

"That's one for Sango," Jet announces. "Ami, you're up next."

Ami also is able to hit one of her targets on her first try.

"Good job, Ami," Jet says. "Sasami, you go ahead."

Sasami misses slightly to the left of one of her targets on her first shot.

"Sorry, Sasami," Jet says. "Asuka, you may finish this first round."

Asuka takes the bow confidently and shoots one of her targets.

"Okay, so after one round, Sango has 1, Ami has 1, and Asuka has 1," Jet states.

Kagome steps up to the bow and takes aim. This time her aim is so off that she ends up hitting one of Asuka's targets instead!

"Yes!" Asuka celebrates.

"Sorry," Jet says. "That will not count for you, Asuka. It just will be another miss for Kagome."

Kagome embarrassingly goes to the back of the line while Sango prepares to shoot.

"Right on target!" Jet shouts. "That's two in a row for Sango! You're up next, Ami."

Ami misses on her attempt slightly to the right.

"Sasami, it's your turn," Jet says.

Sasami takes the bow and hits one of her targets.

"That's your first one, Sasami," Jet states. "Asuka, you will finish the second round here."

Asuka shoots the bow and hits her second target.

"Okay, we have Sango and Asuka with 2, and Ami and Sasami with 1," Jet says. "Sango and Asuka, if either of you hits your third target, you win immunity. If you both connect, we'll keep going until one makes while the other misses. Go ahead, Kagome."

Kagome misses badly again, with her arrow going into the ground.

"I'll never be as good as Kikyo," Kagome mutters.

"Your turn, Sango," Jet says.

Sango takes the bow, fires the arrow and connects with her third and final target.

"Okay, hold everything," Jet announces. "Since Sango has connected with three targets, Ami, Sasami and Kagome are all eliminated from this challenge. Asuka, in order to stay in this challenge, you must connect with your third and final target on this shot. Otherwise, Sango wins immunity."

Asuka takes aim at her final target. She takes her time, lining it up. Finally, she fires the arrow. It flies toward the target.

"Miss!" Jet yells. "Sango wins immunity!"

Sango celebrates, while Asuka looks down in disbelief. Jet takes the Immunity Beads of Subjugation and puts them around Sango's neck.

"Congratulations," Jet tells her. "You are immune from the next vote. As for the rest of you, someone's going home. You've got the next day to figure out who that's gonna be. You can head back to camp."

The players walk back towards their camp, with all but Sango feeling nervous about the upcoming vote.

Hakurei Tribe

_"Well, I lost," Asuka says. "That might be the end of my run here. And to think it was all because of one stupid miss! If I were in my Eva, would I miss in a similar situation? Does this make Shinji or even that Wonder Girl better than me? I can't stand the thought of it!"_

The players are rather uneasy tonight, with Kagome weighing Toshiro's advice, while Ami hopes that the Seireitei players are still willing to go through with her plan to oust Sasami. Before the sun sets, it begins to rain heavily, which seems to be some sort of omen- but for whom?

Day 36

Hakurei Tribe

This morning, with the rain having stopped, Asuka begins to explore around the mountain, feeling both bored and disappointed, as she fully expects to be voted out. While she is gone, Sasami runs over to Sango and Kagome.

"Hey! Wanna vote out Asuka? That's what Ami and I are gonna do!" an excited Sasami says.

Sango and Kagome look at each other suspiciously. Had Ami lied to Sasami in order to lull her into a false sense of security?

"Oh…" Kagome replies. "Uh… that's always a possibility…"

"Possibility? You mean you want to vote off Ami or me instead?" an upset Sasami questions.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that," Kagome says, with Sango putting her hand on her head in frustration.

"You two are still mean!" Sasami cries, running away from the two Seireitei alliance members.

"What did I say?" Kagome asks Sango.

"I guess Sasami was able to easily pick up on the fact that you aren't planning on voting out Asuka," Sango responds.

"But that is the truth…" Kagome says.

"What I wonder is, why is Ami lying to Sasami? She doesn't have to tell Sasami who to vote for. It doesn't matter who Sasami votes for if we and Ami vote Sasami out," Sango comments.

"Maybe Toshiro's right," Kagome remarks.

"What do you mean?" Sango asks.

"Toshiro told me we can't trust Ami, no matter what," Kagome answers. "We need to vote her out, not Sasami."

"I don't know about that…" Sango says.

"What if Ami springs a plan and knocks one of us out because she fooled us?" Kagome asks. "Remember what she did to Toshiro."

_"First InuYasha, now Toshiro," Sango says. "Kagome is getting to become obsessed, sort of the way InuYasha is with Kikyo… she's got to start thinking for herself."_

Later, in the afternoon, Asuka has returned to the camp, where Sasami and Ami are talking about what Kagome told her.

"I think we need to change our plans," Ami says to Sasami.

"How?" Sasami asks.

"We should get Asuka on our side," Ami says.

Ami walks over to Asuka, but as Asuka sees her coming, she immediately crosses her arms and turns her head around.

"Asuka…" Ami says.

"Oh, what now, Wonder Girl 2?" Asuka snaps.

"We could use your help," Ami states.

"I'm sure you could, but I'm not giving it to you," Asuka says.

"I just would like you to vote off Kagome… she's not one to be trusted," Ami suggests.

"I'll see," Asuka replies. "That's the most of an agreement you'll get from me."

"Fine," Ami says.

Ami walks back over to Sasami.

"What did she say?" Sasami asks.

"Oh, she is going right along with our plan," Ami says. "She doesn't like Kagome either. So as long as we all vote for Kagome, it will be Kagome who is eliminated tonight."

"Okay," Sasami replies, fully believing every one of the lies Ami has told to her.

Tribal Council

The five girls walk into Tribal Council with their torches ablaze, setting them down in their designated positions. They then sit down across from host Jet Black.

"We now bring in the members of our jury," Jet says, as the jury members climb out of the Bone-Eater's Well. "Orihime, Shinji, Tenchi, Makoto… and Toshiro, voted out last Tribal Council."

Toshiro bristles at Jet calling him by his first name, but he blushes when he sees Kagome waving happily at him.

"You five have made it a very, very long way," Jet states. "Over that time, you've had to have grown close to some people. Asuka, who would that be?"

"No one!" Asuka snaps. "These people all hate me! But I don't care. I'm not like that stupid Shinji, whose perspective of himself is based upon what others think of him! I don't need others' approval to survive!"

"Okay, okay," Jet says. "I should know by now not to ask you any questions. How about you, Sasami?"

"I've definitely become close friends with Ami," Sasami replies. "I trust her very much. I know that she would never lie to me."

Those words touch a nerve with Kagome, but she decides not to say anything.

"Is this tribe still divided upon tribal lines, Sango?" Jet asks.

"In some ways, yes," Sango responds. "I'm definitely closer to Kagome, and Ami and Sasami are closer to each other. So I would say that the alliances are strong."

"Finally, what effect do you think these alliances will have on voting, Ami?" Jet questions.

"Obviously they will have a big effect," Ami replies. "Haven't they always?"

"Yeah, I guess so, that was a rather stupid question," Jet says. "Okay, before we get to the voting, Sango, you've got the Immunity Beads of Subjugation. Should you choose, you may give those over to someone else. What is your decision?"

"I'm going to keep them," Sango says.

"Very well then," Jet states. "No one may vote for Sango. One of the other four of you is going home, and we're about to find out who, as it is time to vote. Ami, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Ami gets up from her seat.

Ami goes to vote.

_"I'm so, so sorry," Ami says. "I really didn't want to do this… but I have to…"_

Asuka goes to vote.

_"Ha, Wonder Girl 2!" Asuka says. "You thought I was going along with your plan? Well, think again!"_

Kagome goes to vote.

Sango goes to vote.

Sasami goes to vote.

_"Kagome, you are probably voting out Ami or me, so that's why I have to vote you out," Sasami says._

After Sasami comes back from voting, Jet says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet goes over to the voting booth, collects the votes, rearranges them, then returns to the players.

"Once the votes have been read, the decision is final, and the person voted off will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet says. "I'll read the votes. The first vote is for… Sasami."

Sasami looks sad upon seeing her name.

"Kagome," Jet says, reading the second vote.

Kagome begins to feel nervous after hearing her name.

"Ami," Jet says, reading the third vote. "That's one vote Sasami, one vote Kagome, one vote Ami, two votes left."

He pulls out the fourth vote, opening it up very slowly.

"Ami," he reads, much to Ami's surprise. "Two votes Ami, one vote Sasami, one vote Kagome… one vote left."

Jet pulls out the final vote and opens it up slower than ever.

"Twelfth person voted out of Survivor: Feudal Japan, and the sixth member of our jury," Jet says. "Ami Mizuno. That's three, that's enough. You need to bring me your torch."

Ami hugs Sasami warmly. "Congratulations," she tells the Jurai princess. "You just won this game."

"What do you mean?" Sasami asks, brushing tears away, still unable to figure out that Ami tried to vote her off.

"You'll see," Ami replies. She then walks over and picks up her torch, then holds it out in front of Jet.

"Ami, the tribe has spoken," Jet says, before snuffing out her torch. "It's time for you to go."

Ami goes over and hops into the Bone-Eater's Well.

"We're down to four players remaining, and only three days to go, until this game comes to a close," Jet says. "You can head back to camp."

The four remaining girls grab their torches and walk back toward Mt. Hakurei.

_"I would have won this game if it were played with people who actually had half my intelligence," Ami says. "Unfortunately, my opponents were too stupid, and that's why I lost. If Kagome and Sango wished to actually win this game, instead of finishing as runners-up, they would have gone along with me and voted out Sasami. Now Sasami will win the game for sure. My vote against you was nothing personal, Sasami, it was just part of the game. It also wasn't the last time I'll vote for you."_

(Who voted for whom:

Ami- Sasami

Asuka- Ami

Kagome- Ami

Sango- Ami

Sasami- Kagome)

Scenes from our next episode:

_Kagura flies off with the Immunity Beads of Subjugation:_

Suddenly Kagura appears, flying in on one of her giant feathers. She grabs the Immunity Beads of Subjugation and flies off, much to the players' surprise.

_A couple characters come up with an interesting strategy:_

Sango and Kagome seem to be hatching some sort of plan, though it is anyone's guess what it could be.

_And the Beads of Subjugation are given up again:_

As nearly everyone gasps, the immunity challenge winner takes off the Immunity Beads of Subjugation and hands them to a tribemate.


	13. Number One: Days 37, 38, 39

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays, showing the remaining contestants of the series in various scenes:

Asuka Langley Soryu, shooting an arrow

Sasami, running away from Kagome

Sango, talking with Ami about voting strategies

Kagome Higurashi, in the hot springs on her reward

And the jury:

Orihime Inoue

Shinji Ikari

Tenchi Masaki

Makoto Kino

Toshiro Hitsugaya

Ami Mizuno

_Number One_

Day 37

Hakurei Tribe

_"The last thing Ami said was that Sasami had this competition won," Sango says. "I'm not so sure about that."_

It is early in the afternoon, and the players are just sitting around, eating some of the remaining fruit. None of them has the energy to do anything more.

"So, how do you think this will end?" Kagome asks the other three players. "Will we have three players at the final jury, or only two?"

"Who cares?" Asuka replies. "The jury hates me anyway, so I have no chance of winning."

"Oh, don't say that," the ever-compassionate Sasami says. "I think that you and Shinji are both too hard on yourselves."

"You're comparing me to Shinji? Oh, I must have hit a new low! The only thing worse would be if I was compared to that First Child Ayanami!" Asuka responds.

"I really hope there are only two people at the final jury," Sango remarks. "It would be really nice if Kagome and I were the final two."

"Oh, so you think you're going to win this, don't you?" Asuka snaps. "You were already cheating for your friend before, and I guess you'll keep on cheating to help her."

"I wasn't cheating," Sango replies with a bit of anger.

"Okay now, let's stop arguing," Kagome says. "We all have to be mentally prepared for the next immunity challenge."

"Speaking of that," a voice says.

The players turn to see Haruhi Suzumiya holding a piece of paper (although of course none of them have ever seen her before).

"Get to the immunity challenge area in exactly two hours," she says. "And if you're late, it's the death penalty!"

She gives the paper to Kagome, then runs off.

"What does this one say?" Sasami asks.

"Let's see," Kagome says.

"You've all come a very long way,

And today is a very special day,

Because it is your last chance

To win immunity and advance."

"So I guess we will have three people at the final jury," Sango comments. "This is our final immunity challenge."

"That poem was useless," Asuka remarks. "There wasn't any mention of what we'll have to do in the challenge. What a waste!"

The players then rest for a little while, before they have to head to the immunity challenge.

Immunity Challenge

"Come on in, guys!" Jet Black yells.

The four players walk into the immunity challenge area, noticing that the area is just a grassy field, with nothing special about it.

"Welcome to today's immunity challenge, the last one," Jet says. "The winner of this challenge will be guaranteed a spot in the final three. But first, I'll take back the Immunity Beads of Subjugation."

Sango takes off the Immunity Beads of Subjugation and hands them to Jet.

"For the final time, immunity is back up for grabs," Jet says. "And this time, it really is up for grabs."

Suddenly Kagura appears, flying in on one of her giant feathers. She grabs the Immunity Beads of Subjugation and flies off, much to the players' surprise.

"Kagura is taking the Immunity Beads of Subjugation to the top of Mount Hakurei," Jet explains. "On my go, you will all race to the top of the mountain, as whoever grabs the necklace first will win immunity and a guaranteed 1-in-3 shot at winning this game."

The players stare at each other, feeling nervous about this challenge.

"Survivors ready?" Jet shouts. "Go!"

The contestants begin running back towards Mt. Hakurei. Sasami and Sango take an early lead, with Kagome and Asuka trailing behind. Sasami ends up reaching the base of the mountain first, but the other three are very close behind her.

Sasami begins to climb the mountain, but she trips, allowing Sango and Kagome to pass her. She gets up before Asuka can catch her, and tries to catch up. Sango then leads the pack of players as they climb up the mountain, going past where they have set up their camp.

The players continue on, climbing higher and higher, when Kagome slips and hurts her knee. Sasami catches up to her, then asks Kagome if she is okay.

"I'm fine," Kagome says, "but I'm out of this one."

Kagome begins walking back towards the camp, while Asuka passes her, wondering what she is doing. At this point, however, both Sasami and Asuka are way too far behind Sango. Sango finds her way up some steep slopes, then reaches the top of the mountain, where she finds the Immunity Beads of Subjugation.

"Sango wins immunity!" a voice shouts.

Sango then turns to see Jet sitting with Kagura on a giant feather.

"Congratulations, Sango, you are immune from tomorrow night's Tribal Council," Jet says, as Sasami and Asuka reach the top of the mountain. "You can all head back to camp."

Sango triumphantly puts on her necklace, then joins Sasami and Asuka in the long hike back down the mountain.

Hakurei Tribe

That night, Sango tries to help Kagome, who badly bruised her knee during the challenge.

"Let's put on some of this," she says, putting some ointment on Kagome's knee, which she contained in her demon slayer outfit.

"It's really okay," Kagome replies. "I've been through much worse than this."

"That was an exhausting challenge," Sango says. "It paid off in the end for me."

"The question is, who to vote off?" Kagome says.

"I think we should sleep on that one," Sango responds.

Day 38

Hakurei Tribe

_"Sango can rest easy, because she has immunity," Kagome says. "But as for me… I know I'm in trouble. I can only hope Asuka decides to keep on voting on her own, and doesn't team up with Sasami to take me out…"_

This afternoon, the players are just relaxing, not really caring much to do anything, just like the day before. However, Sasami finds time to talk to Asuka, in an attempt to form an alliance.

"Asuka?" Sasami says.

"Oh, what now?" Asuka responds.

"I was hoping that maybe you would vote for Kagome," Sasami suggests.

"Why? Just to help you, after all this time you've been on that Wonder Girl 2's side?" Asuka replies. "It doesn't seem worth it to me."

"But Asuka…" Sasami says. "If you don't vote with me, the other two might both vote for you, and you'll get voted out."

"Oh, so now you're trying to force me into it?" Asuka asks. "So you think I'm that pathetic? Well, let me tell you a little secret, Asuka Langley Soryu doesn't get forced into anything!"

"Please?" Sasami pleads.

"I will vote for who I choose, just like I have the whole time I've been here," Asuka says.

_"I thought making that deal with Asuka would help her… I don't understand why she wouldn't want my help," Sasami says._

Sasami walks away disappointed. She considers talking to Sango and Kagome, but for some reason decides not to do so. This leads to a long, awkward afternoon, where Sasami and Asuka are isolated from each other, as well as Kagome and Sango. The latter two seem to be hatching some sort of plan, though it is anyone's guess what it could be.

_"We know that even with two votes out of four, we still run the risk of losing a tiebreaker," Sango says. "Our situation isn't as secure as we would like."_

Tribal Council

The four players walk in with their torches ablaze and set them down in the usual place. They then sit down across from Jet Black.

"We now bring in the members of our jury," Jet announces, as the jury members climb out of the Bone-Eater's Well. "Orihime, Shinji, Tenchi, Makoto, Toshiro and voted out last Tribal Council, Ami."

The jury members take their seats across from the remaining players. Kagome waves to Toshiro, who smiles back at her.

"This is the final time you will vote out someone," Jet says. "Tonight's castoff will be the seventh and final member of our jury. The other three of you will appear tomorrow night before the jury, where they will decide your fate. Sango, with those beads around your neck, you have nothing to worry about, or do you?"

"I'm very concerned with the outcome tonight," Sango replies. "I've really wanted to make it to the end of this game with Kagome… we've gone through a lot together, and we really want to stick together to the final jury."

"Well, that's an interesting subject," Jet states. "Kagome, your friend obviously wants you to stay in the game. Do you feel the same way about her?"

"Absolutely," Kagome responds. "Sango and I are close friends. We're sticking together no matter what."

"Even if that means… giving yourself less of a chance of winning the ultimate prize?" Jet asks.

"We wouldn't turn on each other, like some others have," Kagome says, staring right at Ami, who scowls back at her.

"Interesting," Jet says. "Sasami, the last time we were here, Ami was voted off, and she said that she thought you will win this game. What do you think about that?"

"I hope I win," Sasami replies. "But I also hope that Asuka helps me out here- it would help both of us."

"Do you mean that you want to help Asuka, and she refuses?" Jet asks.

"Yes," Sasami answers.

"I don't need your help!" Asuka snaps. "I don't need anyone's help! I'm fine on my own!"

"Okay, okay!" Jet exclaims. "No need to shout about it!"

"Hey, I've put up with a lot of garbage from everyone else in this game, even you!" Asuka yells back. "I have the right to yell! No one's gonna tell me to shut up!"

Shinji cracks a smile at Asuka's behavior, causing her to become even angrier.

"Oh, the great Shinji's over there, thinking this is so funny, isn't he?" Asuka shouts. "I think it was pretty funny when he gave up the immunity plushie and then got voted out because of that move!"

Shinji looks upset over Asuka's remarks. Sasami immediately tries to comfort him.

"It's okay, Shinji," Sasami says. "She fooled us all."

"All right, all right," Jet says. "The jury will get its time in the spotlight tomorrow night. As for now, it's just about time to vote, but first- Sango, you have the Immunity Beads of Subjugation. If you wish, you may give them to any other player of your choice, but I don't think you're going to-"

"Actually," Sango replies, much to everyone's surprise, "I'm going to give them to Kagome."

As nearly everyone gasps, Sango takes off the Immunity Beads of Subjugation and hands them to Kagome.

"Thank you," Kagome says, putting the beads around her neck.

"Suddenly you are safe," Jet tells Kagome. "One of the other three of you is going to be voted out, and we're about to find out who, because it is time to vote. Asuka, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Asuka gets up from her seat.

Asuka goes to vote.

Kagome goes to vote.

_"I don't know if this is going to work," Kagome says. "But if it does, it will turn out to have been a brilliant plan."_

Sango goes to vote.

Sasami goes to vote.

_"I'm sorry I have to do this," Sasami says. "Nothing personal."_

After Sasami comes back from voting, Jet says, "I'll go tally the votes."

Jet walks over to the voting booth, gathers the votes, then returns to the players.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet states. "I'll read the votes. The first vote is for… Sasami."

Sasami frowns upon hearing her name.

"Sango," Jet says, pulling out the second vote. "One vote Sasami, one vote Sango."

He pulls out the third vote slowly.

"Sango," Jet reads the vote. "Two votes Sango, one vote Sasami, one vote left."

Jet pulls out the final vote and opens it extremely slowly.

"Sasami," Jet says. "We have a tie, two votes apiece. We will have a revote, with only Kagome and Asuka voting. First, though, I'll give Sango and Sasami a chance to state their case. Go ahead, Sango."

"Asuka," Sango says, "this is a chance for you to take out the only remaining player of Ami's alliance."

Surprised by Sango's quick and short statement, Jet turns to Sasami. "Your turn, Sasami," he says.

"Please don't vote for me," Sasami pleads. "Please, vote for Sango… I really don't know what else to say."

"All right," Jet says, even more surprised by Sasami's statement. "It is time to revote. Asuka, you're up first."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Asuka gets up from her seat a second time.

Asuka goes to vote.

Kagome goes to vote.

After Kagome returns from voting, Jet says, "I'll go tally the votes- again."

Jet takes the voting urn and walks back over to the players.

"Again, once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to jump into the Bone-Eater's Well immediately," Jet states. "I'll read the votes. The first vote is for… Sango. One vote Sango, one vote left."

Jet pulls out the final vote, opening it very slowly.

"The final vote is for…" Jet says, with a long pause.

He then opens up the vote.

"Sasami," Jet says. "We have another tie, so this time we will go to votes in previous Tribal Councils. How many have you had, Sango?"

"None, that I know of," Sango replies.

"And how many have you had, Sasami?" Jet asks.

"I can't quite remember," Sasami answers sadly.

"The correct answer is three," Jet replies. "Sasami, you need to bring me your torch."

Kagome hugs Sango in celebration, while Toshiro smiles from the jury. Tears well up in Sasami's eyes as she grabs her torch.

"Sasami, the tribe has spoken," Jet says, snuffing out her torch with his snuffer. "It's time for you to go."

Sasami goes to the Bone-Eater's Well and hops in.

"Well, you did it," Jet tells Asuka, Kagome and Sango. "You three have made it to the end of this game, and tomorrow night, the jury will choose one of you three as the winner. You can head back to camp."

The three remaining players grab their torches and begin walking back to their camp.

_"I tried my best, I really did," Sasami says. "I may have had a chance if Ami would have stayed. Oh well, at least it was a lot of fun."_

(Who voted for whom:

Asuka- Sango, Sango

Kagome- Sasami, Sasami

Sango- Sasami

Sasami- Sango)

Day 39

Hakurei Tribe

"We did it! We did it!" Kagome exclaims, as she celebrates with Sango this final morning. Asuka just watches the other two with her arms crossed and an angry glare on her face.

_"What did they do?" Asuka says. "They knew each other before this competition. It wasn't so hard for them to make an alliance and go really far. As for me, I was stuck with Shinji, who turned on me. I've actually had to do quite a bit of work to get this far, much more than them."_

"I guess our little scheme worked," Sango says to Kagome. "Sure, it caused me to get a few votes, but that's okay, because you're still here instead of being voted out."

"I only wish Toshiro was here with us," Kagome comments. "That would have been perfect."

"What are you going to tell InuYasha after this thing's over?" Sango asks. "I'm sure he won't be too happy about this."

"He can have Kikyo," Kagome replies. "He really likes dead girls for some reason, and since I'm still alive, he doesn't like me quite as much as her. So he can go be with her, and Toshiro and I will be together."

_"Kagome sure has changed," Sango says. "But I guess it's for the better, if Toshiro's the right guy for her."_

Later, in the afternoon, the three girls are joined by a creature that looks like a flying stuffed bear, who is holding a piece of paper for them.

"Is this the immunity plushie?" Asuka asks.

"No, my name's Kero, and I have this message to give to you," the bear says.

The bear hands the paper to Sango, then flies off.

"So, what does it say?" Kagome asks.

"It says we must follow this map to go collect the torches of our former tribemates," Sango replies. "I guess this is some sort of ceremonial ritual we have to perform in order to honor them."

"No poem?" Asuka questions. "That's a relief."

"Actually, it is a poem," Sango responds. "I wasn't going to read it because it is so bad, but I might as well now…

It is time for you to follow this map

Collect your tribemates' torches in your lap

This way you will honor their time in this game

Where they were voted out, with you to blame."

"Boy, that is bad," Asuka says.

"I guess we have to go do this, whether we like to or not," Kagome remarks. "Let's go."

The three players gather their belongings and begin to follow the map. After following the path shown on the map for a while, they come up on a grassy field where they begin to find torches of other members in the game. As they pick up the torches, montages of these players' time in the game are shown.

"Ash Ketchum," Asuka says, seeing the first torch. "Boy am I glad we got rid of him when we did."

_"Asuka should have been voted out, not me!" Ash says. "I should have stayed longer than I did… it's just not fair."_

"Naruto Uzumaki," Sango says. "He was full of energy, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, he sure was a character," Kagome comments.

_"It doesn't matter that I got voted out early!" Naruto says. "I'm going to be the next Hokage… believe it!"_

"Brock," Asuka says, as she comes upon the next torch. "What a pervert… he's nothing like my Kaji, that's for sure."

_"I had no luck with the ladies, just like in the Pokémon world," Brock says. "Maybe if I had lasted a little longer, things would have been different…"_

The players move on to Armstrong's torch. Kagome gives Sango a nervous smile upon seeing his name.

"This was a close one, wasn't it?" Kagome remarks.

"We sure got lucky there," Sango replies. "If only Orihime hadn't been fooled… we could have had a stronger alliance."

Asuka just looks on, not knowing anything about that vote.

_"I guess my muscles were a bit of a disadvantage after all," Armstrong says. "I was probably looked at as a threat because of my strength."_

The players walk on, seeing Ed's torch.

"It wasn't fair that Ed was voted out," Sango comments. "Shinji tricked us into voting for him, and then he won the tiebreaker over Ed."

"He was very resourceful, I have to say," Kagome adds.

_"The law of Equivalent Exchange works in more ways than one," Ed says. "Shinji may have tricked us, but he was tricked himself and backstabbed."_

The players come up to Temari's torch.

"Temari sure was a loner," Kagome remarks. "I felt bad that she never got along with anybody else."

"It _was _her choice, though," Sango adds. "She really didn't want to get along with us."

"She was the only person besides Shinji who ever tried to make an alliance with me," Asuka comments. "It only figures that she would get voted out."

_"I made it pretty far for someone who had no friends in the game, while almost everyone else had someone they knew," Temari says. "I think I just was a little unlucky, and that's why my strategy never worked."_

Asuka, Kagome and Sango walk up to the next torch, the one belonging to Orihime. Kagome and Sango give a sympathetic look upon seeing her torch.

"Orihime didn't deserve to go," Kagome says.

"We wanted her to stay, she was so sweet to everyone, so kind, even if she wasn't the best cook," Sango comments.

_"It was a lot of fun playing this game and meeting all these new people," Orihime says. "I think that the only trip that was more fun than this was my first trip to the Soul Society."_

Asuka sees the next torch and makes a face, as it is the one belonging to Shinji.

"I'm not touching that," she says.

Kagome picks it up. "Come on, Asuka," she tells her, "Shinji was the one who gave you that immunity plushie."

"He's so stupid," Asuka replies, crossing her arms in disgust.

_"I don't know whether my time out here was good or bad," Shinji says. "I know I wanted to get away from Tokyo-3, but I may have hurt others, and I got hurt myself… but at the same time, I became a little bolder, so maybe it wasn't all bad."_

The players walk up to the next torch, seeing that it belongs to Tenchi.

"Tenchi never seemed to be able to make up his mind," Kagome comments.

"But he got unlucky," Sango says. "We only voted him out because Makoto turned on him, and Makoto only turned on him because she was under the control of the tainted jewel shard."

_"What a strange game," Tenchi says. "I thought Sasami and I were going to end up sneaking all the way to the end, then all of a sudden Makoto eats something strange and I end up the one voted out. I guess that's how it goes in this game."_

The three come up to Makoto's torch next.

"Makoto was unlucky as well," Sango remarks. "She couldn't help it she was being controlled by the tainted jewel shard."

"But it was better that she was voted out rather than Toshiro," Kagome says.

_"All I really wanted was for Tenchi to like me, not to win this game," Makoto says. "But then I eat something bad, and somehow I vote out Tenchi without even knowing it. I guess we just weren't meant to be together."_

Kagome's eyes begin to well up as she comes up to the next torch – the one belonging to Toshiro.

"Go ahead, pick it up," Sango tells Kagome.

Kagome picks up Toshiro's torch and kisses it gently.

"Toshiro, I never thought I'd meet someone like you here," Kagome says. "If only we could stay together…"

Meanwhile, Asuka just rolls her eyes.

_"Of all the things I thought would happen in this game, I never thought I would end up falling in love," Toshiro says. "Meeting Kagome was better than winning the top prize in this game, and this is coming from someone who is competitive as anyone."_

The players walk towards the next torch. None of them look particularly happy upon seeing Ami's name on it.

"Ami was too arrogant," Kagome comments. "She may have been smart, but she thought she was smarter than all of us."

"Maybe we would have thought differently about her if she was in our alliance…" Sango wonders.

"Wonder Girl 2 lasted way too long around here," Asuka complains. "I'm glad I beat her."

_"I learned from this experience that even when you think you have everything figured out, there's always something that can happen," Ami says. "My alliance seemed to be unbreakable; my strategy seemed to be perfect. Then it somehow all fell apart in such a bizarre way. I guess some things in life are just unpredictable."_

The three players come up to the final torch, the one belonging to recently-voted out Sasami.

"Sasami was cute," Kagome comments. "I had nothing against her."

"She was very likable," Sango adds. "And that's why she had to go."

"Yet another girl that stupid Shinji fell for," Asuka remarks. "Must have been the blue hair."

_"I had so much fun in this game," Sasami says. "I even almost won it. I wish Tenchi and Shinji could have stayed longer… it was great to meet all these new people."_

Sango picks up Sasami's torch, adding it to the collection of torches the three players are carrying. They then bring the torches to a pile of firewood and pile them on top. A pack of matches is lying in front of the wood pile, and Kagome takes one and uses it to start the fire. The three girls then stand back, watching as the torches of their fellow tribemates burn.

"This is it," Sango says. "We will now follow the map to Tribal Council, where the game will end… it's been a lot of fun."

"I can't believe we've made it so far, and now we've come to the end," Kagome responds.

"End?" Asuka replies. "I think the game is only beginning."

The players follow the map as they head to their final Tribal Council.

Tribal Council

Asuka, Kagome and Sango walk into the Tribal Council area for the last time and sit down at their usual spot.

"We now bring in the members of our jury," Jet says. "Orihime, Shinji, Tenchi, Makoto, Toshiro, Ami, and, voted out last Tribal Council, Sasami."

The seven jury members take their places across from the remaining players.

"Tonight, the power has shifted," Jet explains. "The fate of this game now lies in the hands of the jury. They will ultimately make the decision on which one of you ends up as the winner of this game."

The three remaining players look over at the jury, noticing them not to look as friendly as usual.

"First, each of you will give an opening statement to the jury, on why you should be chosen to win this game," Jet states. "Asuka, you're up first."

Asuka gets up and stands in front of the jury.

"I know what you all think of me," Asuka says. "But that should be precisely why you choose me to win. I have overcome every obstacle and done every single thing I could in order to get this far. I have played the game better than anyone here, and I deserve to be chosen as the ultimate winner of the game."

Asuka takes her seat while Jet calls up Kagome to speak next.

"Hello everyone," Kagome says. "I have been easy to get along with, I haven't gotten angry at anyone. I've been loyal to my alliances the whole way through the game. I have helped around camp. Most of all, I have developed meaningful relationships with other players in this game."

She waves to Toshiro before sitting down. Sango gets up last to speak.

"Good evening," Sango announces. "As you decide who deserves to win this game, I suggest that you remember the following things: I have been completely honest throughout the entire game, I have not caused a single problem in camp, and I have earned my spot here by strategic maneuvering as well as winning immunity."

Sango then takes her seat.

"Okay," Jet states. "Now it is time for the members of the jury to address you, the remaining players. Ami, you're up first."

Ami, wearing a blue gown, stands in front of the players in Jet's usual spot, as he has moved out of the way.

"This sure has been an interesting game, hasn't it?" Ami comments. "My alliance was in control of the game, yet we failed to place any of our members in the final three. My question to you is, which of the five of us from our alliance – anyone besides Toshiro and Orihime – do you think would deserve to win this game?"

Sango answers first. "I think that Sasami played this game very well, and she made it the farthest of your alliance," she says. "Because she did make it to the final four, I think it would be easiest to argue for her to win this game."

Kagome goes next. "I think it would actually be you, Ami," she states. "You thought up your strategy well, and you did many things to help your case in this game. You had some bad luck, and that's why you're not sitting here in the final three."

Asuka is the last to answer. "None of you deserve it!" she snaps. "There's a reason none of you are here, and that's because you failed at this game! You can't claim that you deserve to be the winner if you couldn't even make it to the final three!"

"Is that all you need?" Jet asks Ami.

"No, I have something more to say," Ami replies. "Asuka, you are such a spoiled brat! You are lucky to be here, not skilled! You did nothing to help your cause within this tribe! You treated Shinji terribly, even though he helped you immensely. You had every chance to make yourself likable, and you refused every time. There is absolutely no reason for you to even be here, let alone be chosen as the winner!"

"Someone's jealous," Asuka responds to Ami.

"Why, you-" Ami shouts.

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Jet breaks in. "Ami, take your seat, you've said your piece. Next up is Makoto."

Ami furiously walks back to her spot with the jury, while Makoto stands in front of the contestants.

"Congratulations on making it this far," says Makoto, who is wearing a black dress. "You all have done very well to make it so far in this game. Kagome, I'll start with you. How were you able to start a relationship with Toshiro in this game, and how much do you think it helped you to get where you're at right now?"

Kagome blushes, looking over at Toshiro. "I don't really know how we started our relationship," she admits. "He just talked to me, and I talked to him, and I ended up caring about him for some reason. Then, before we knew it, we were in love. I think it certainly helped me get farther in this game, because his strategy and decisions proved to be very helpful to both Sango and me."

"Next, Sango," Makoto says. "You really seemed to remain quiet throughout the game and not make any drastic decisions, until you gave the Immunity Beads of Subjugation to Kagome. Do you think that is the main reason why you're here?"

"Absolutely," Sango responds. "I really didn't want to hurt anyone or make them angry with me, so my goal was to try to make peace with as many people as possible. The only time I tried making a significant move before that was when Orihime and I were in the minority in the Jurai tribe, but that ended up not mattering because we merged. I think my strategy has paid off well."

"Finally, Asuka," Makoto states. "You've done nothing but make trouble for everyone else throughout the game, yet here you are, in the final three. Do you think you played this game right, or would you rather have played it in another way?"

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka replies. "Of course I played this game right! That's why I'm here and you're not! I wasn't just eating jewels and getting myself in trouble with the rest of the tribe like you! It didn't matter whether I had any friends or not, I made it here, and that's what's important!"

"Yes, but if you want to win, you need the jury's help," Makoto says. "Personally, I think your strategy is fatally flawed, and you'll soon find that out."

"Thank you, Makoto," Jet says. "Next up is Orihime."

Orihime cheerfully steps up in front of the contestants.

"Hi everyone," she says. "Congratulations! I don't have any questions for you two."

She points to the smiling Kagome and Sango.

"As for you, Asuka, I just want to ask you one thing," she continues. "Why didn't you join up with the four of us in order to go up against the Jurai alliance?"

"Because I didn't need your stupid alliance, that's why!" Asuka snaps. "As you can see, I made it this far without your help, so I think I did just fine on my own."

Orihime sadly walks away from Asuka and returns to her seat.

"Next up, Sasami," Jet announces.

Sasami walks to her place in front of the remaining players.

"Congratulations!" she tells them. "I wish I were sitting where you are, but you deserve to be here. My question is this: Kagome and Sango, why did you choose to vote me out instead of Asuka?"

Kagome chooses to speak first. "I think you had a great chance of being selected by the jury as the winner," she replies. "Both of us also wanted to win, so we felt that we would have a better chance at winning by voting you off."

"You definitely played a great game, Sasami," Sango adds. "You would have a great case for winning it all if you were part of the final three."

"Thank you," Sasami says, walking back to her place with the jury.

"Next up is Shinji," Jet states.

A depressed-looking Shinji walks up in front of the contestants.

"Asuka, I just have to ask you," Shinji says. "Why?"

"Why not?" Asuka replies. "You were stupid enough to give me the immunity plushie, you deserved to be voted out! You cooked your own goose!"

"Yes, but I thought you might like me," Shinji states. "That's all I want, to be loved, for people to love me."

"You're not getting it from me!" Asuka says. "Go ask your Wonder Girl for support, I'm sure she'll give you some emotion."

Shinji sighs, knowing nothing has changed with Asuka. He just walks back sadly to the jury.

"Tenchi, you're up next," Jet announces.

Tenchi takes his place in front of the remaining players.

"All of you have played a great game to make it so far," Tenchi says. "But here's my question, to all three of you: what is your biggest regret in this game? Sango, go ahead."

"I think it was the fact that our Seireitei alliance was outnumbered at the merge and that we couldn't keep Orihime around longer," Sango replies. "I really wanted the four of us to stay together longer."

"Kagome?" Tenchi asks.

"Without a doubt, I wish Toshiro was still here," Kagome answers, looking over at the smiling Soul Reaper. "If he was here with Sango and me, it would be a perfect final three."

"And you, Asuka?" Tenchi questions.

"I have no regrets!" Asuka snaps. "Everything I did in this game, I'm happy about. I had no control over the way the rest of you excluded me from the tribe. I did everything the best I could, and I'm happy about it."

"Okay, thank you," Tenchi says, returning to his seat.

"Finally, Toshiro… or, should I say, Captain Hitsugaya," Jet states.

Toshiro gives Jet a slight smile as he takes his place in front of the players.

"Kagome and Sango, I want to congratulate you on making it so far," he says. "We went through a lot together, and I wish I could be with the two of you right now."

He takes a deep breath.

"Kagome, you and I spent many days together here," he continues. "We went from not even knowing each other to becoming so close. The relationship I built with you was worth much more than winning this game. I just want to say, I hope we can find a way to spend the rest of our lives together, because I truly do love you."

Kagome's eyes well up as she hears this from Toshiro.

"Finally, I want to address Asuka," Toshiro says. "You made everyone's lives miserable here, and your playing of the immunity plushie cost me extra time to be with Kagome. You definitely have no business being here."

He walks back to the jury and takes his seat. Jet, meanwhile, addresses everyone.

"All right, we've gone 39 days, and this is what it all comes down to," Jet announces. "Each of the seven of you will place your vote for who you want to win this competition. Remember, you are voting for a _winner_. So now, for the last time, it is time to vote."

The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as Ami gets up from her seat and walks to the voting booth.

Ami goes to vote.

_"This is a decision between two players, as I didn't even consider Asuka," Ami says. "Ultimately it came down to who I thought had the best responses tonight, and that was you, Kagome. I think you are a well-deserving winner of this game."_

Makoto goes to vote.

_"Kagome, you're getting my vote, for your superior strategy," Makoto says. "By developing a relationship with Toshiro, you were able to get yourself farther in this game, and for that, I think you deserve to win."_

Orihime goes to vote.

_"My vote is going to Sango," Orihime says. "You really tried hard to keep me in this game, whether it was at the beginning of the game at Seireitei, or in our little time at Jurai together, or after the merge. You really looked out for others, not just yourself, and because of that, I feel you are deserving of winning this game."_

Sasami goes to vote.

_"I am voting for Sango," Sasami says. "You were always kind to me and everyone else at camp. You gave me an apple when I was starving at Jurai, and you were always nice there, even when it looked like you might get voted out. I hope to reward you for your kindness with my vote."_

Tenchi goes to vote.

_"Sango, my vote goes to you," he says. "It was very tough for me to choose between you and Kagome, because both of you deserve to win. However, I feel that you ultimately were the more selfless of the two of you, and because of that, I give you the advantage."_

Toshiro goes to vote.

_"This is one of the easiest decisions I'll ever make," Toshiro says. "Kagome, you are such a great girl, and I hope that we can develop a close relationship with each other. I also hope you win, and hopefully this vote will help you do just that."_

Shinji goes to vote. He stands at the voting booth with his head down, not even picking up the pen for a while. He finally picks it up, but still writes nothing down. He takes a deep sigh, then begins writing a name. He does not even hold up the paper to the camera or say a word, simply folding the paper and placing it in the voting urn, before walking back to the jury.

"I'll go tally the votes," Jet says.

Jet walks over to the voting booth, grabs the voting urn, then returns to the rest of the players.

"Asuka, Kagome, Sango, jury, thank you for a great competition here for Survivor: Feudal Japan," he announces. "I will see you at the Higurashi Shrine in 500 years for the reading of the votes."

He then jumps into the Bone-Eater's Well, leaving the players and the jury behind.

"What do we do now?" Asuka asks.

"We're going to join him," Kagome answers. "Jumping into that Bone-Eater's Well takes you forward in time 500 years, and it takes us to my family's shrine."

The players then line up, and one by one, they hop into the Bone-Eater's Well. Upon arriving in current times, they climb out of the well and walk upon a designated path to the Higurashi Shrine, where a large gathering of people are seated to watch the reading of the votes. In front of the fans are designated places for the jury and the final three, who take their seats. Once everyone has taken their place, Jet suddenly appears behind all the fans, and walks up past the cheering fans to where the remaining players and jury are seated.

"Thank you, thank you," Jet announces. "Let's get to it."

The crowd continues to cheer as Jet speaks.

"Word on the street says that this is the best Survivor that took place in Feudal Japan ever!" Jet announces.

The fans cheer even louder.

"All right, all right, now it's time to get to the votes," Jet says. "There are seven votes. It takes four to win, or three if the other two players receive two each. I will read the votes."

Jet pulls out the first vote and shows it to everyone. "Kagome," he announces, to many screaming fans. Kagome smiles after seeing her name.

Jet then pulls out the second vote and opens it. "Kagome," he reads. "That's two votes for Kagome."

The crowd screams again in approval, while Kagome continues to smile.

Jet takes out the third vote, opening it up slowly. "Sango," he announces. "Two votes Kagome, one vote Sango."

The yelling for Sango is not as loud, but she still receives cheers.

Jet pulls out the fourth vote and opens it. "Sango," he reads. "That's two votes Kagome, two votes Sango."

The crowd cheers, while Kagome begins to feel nervous. Asuka seems to not even care.

Jet pulls out the fifth vote and opens it slowly. "Sango," he says. "Three votes Sango, two votes Kagome. Asuka, you have been eliminated from Survivor: Feudal Japan."

Asuka does not even look at Jet, simply staring off into space.

"If this vote is for Sango, we have a winner," Jet says. He pulls out the sixth vote and opens it up very slowly. "Kagome," he reads it, much to the delight of many of the fans. "It's three votes Kagome, three votes Sango, one vote left. Asuka is our third-place finisher."

A hush goes out over the crowd as they wait for the final vote. Sango looks nervous, but not nearly as much as Kagome. Jet smiles, taking his time before pulling out the final vote.

"If this vote is for Sango, she wins," Jet explains. "If this vote is for Kagome, _she_ wins. If this vote is for Asuka, we have a tie."

He pulls out the final vote slowly, then opens it up even slower.

"The winner of Survivor: Feudal Japan is…" Jet announces.

He then slowly turns the vote around for everyone to see.

"Sango."

The crowd erupts with cheers as Sango's name is revealed. Sango herself looks to be in shock, while Kagome gives her a big hug. "You deserve it," she tells her. "You deserve it."

Miroku then walks out of the crowd and goes over to Sango, embracing her warmly. "You truly are a wonderful woman," he tells her.

Meanwhile, the original six players who were voted out before the merge walk into the area where all the other players are, and they begin to greet each other. Jet uses this opportunity to address the crowd.

"We've had 39 days of thrills and spills out in Feudal Japan, and we've finally crowned our winner," he says. "Coming up next, the reunion with all sixteen contestants, including our winner, Sango. I hope you've enjoyed Survivor: Feudal Japan as much as I have; now stay around for the reunion."

The Survivor theme song "Ancient Voices" plays quietly as Sango is shown celebrating her victory with Miroku and Kagome.


	14. Reunion

Reunion

Reunion

At the Higurashi shrine, Jet Black is seated on a chair facing the sixteen players, who are sitting on risers, with four people in each row. He hushes the cheering fans with his hand and begins to speak.

"Survivor: Feudal Japan brought us many twists, shockers and storylines," Jet states. "But most importantly, it brought us a winner, and she is Sango, a demon-slayer from Feudal Japan, who survived all 39 days and was voted the winner. Congratulations, Sango!"

The crowd cheers for the smiling Sango.

"Thank you," she says.

"The amount of money given to our players is determined by the currency they use," Jet explains. "For you, Sango, it is going to be a large amount of pieces of gold, as we are still trying to figure out the exchange rate as well as adjusting for inflation over 500 years."

"I'm sure Miroku will be happy about that," Sango replies, waving to her fiancé Miroku, who is sitting in the front row of fans.

"So, the obvious first question is, how does it feel to be the winner?" Jet asks.

Sango takes a deep breath, trying to come up with words to explain her feelings. "It's really hard to describe," she answers. "For one thing, I feel relieved to have made it so far, but I also feel like I made a positive influence among the tribe, because four of you felt I was worthy of winning."

"The way you played this game was very different from the way most Survivor winners play," Jet comments. "You remained completely honest, from the beginning to the end. You stayed quiet, yet you didn't rely on any one player to pull you through the game. You kept peace with your teammates, and as a result, no one voted against you until you _gave up immunity_ in the last Tribal Council where someone was voted out. I must applaud you, Sango, because you've played this game strategically, and morally, right."

The crowd cheers again for Sango, whose face becomes a little red with embarrassment.

"I could only live my life the way I know how to," she replies. "I'm glad that it resulted in my winning of this game."

"Now perhaps the most intriguing storyline of Survivor: Feudal Japan was the relationship between runner-up Kagome Higurashi and Toshiro Hitsugaya," Jet remarks. "You two continue the history of Survivor contestants developing romantic relationships."

Both characters blush, then look at each other. Kagome giggles.

"Yes, I guess so," she laughs. "It was disappointing not to win, but I think the consolation prize is more than enough for me."

"And you're not just talking about the money you'll receive for finishing second," Jet replies. "Tell me, how do you plan on continuing this relationship, given that you live in two worlds, and Captain Hitsugaya lives in another one altogether?"

"Toshiro has it all figured out," Kagome answers.

"I have permission from the Soul Society to live the majority of the time in whatever world Kagome's in, while doing the normal responsibilities of a Soul Reaper," Toshiro explains. "I will continue to check back into the Soul Society from time to time for important issues, but otherwise Kagome and I will stay together."

"Now, I just must ask, what about… you know who?" Jet questions.

"Momo?" Toshiro responds. "She understands… she's fine with it. We weren't really a couple anyway."

"How about you, Kagome?" Jet asks.

"Oh, InuYasha will be just fine… he's got Kikyo anyway," Kagome answers.

"Meanwhile, there's you, Asuka," Jet says. "You and I had our arguments at Tribal Council, but I will commend you for making it all the way to the final three. You played a good game."

"What are you, dense?" Asuka responds. "Of course I played a great game! Everyone here wanted me gone, and I managed to survive all the way to the end. Too bad everyone still hates me and refused to vote for me."

"Well, you had your chance to convince them to vote for you at the final Tribal," Jet remarks. "Apparently you felt it was better to express your feelings in such a blunt way, but it sure didn't earn you any votes."

"They weren't going to vote for me anyway!" Asuka snaps. "At least Shinji could have voted for me, just because we work together, but even he was too enamored with Sasami to think about me… not that I would want his sympathy anyway!"

"This brings up another point of interest," Jet says. "Let me ask those of you who were with Asuka: did you really hate her, or did it just seem that way?"

Many of the contestants begin to laugh. Asuka just crosses her arms in disgust.

"What's so funny?" Jet asks.

"I'll put it like this: it didn't just seem that way," Makoto responds.

"Well, let me say this: you were a great player in this game, Asuka, and you really took advantage of many opportunities to make it so far," Jet compliments the Eva pilot.

"Oh, thanks," an angry Asuka replies sarcastically.

"This brings me to my next subject, the giving away of the immunity plushie by Shinji to Asuka," Jet says. "Shinji, I've just got to ask you: what were you thinking?"

Shinji sighs. "I thought that Asuka would appreciate my gift and vote out one of the Seireitei alliance members," he replies. "I didn't expect her to be so cruel and turn on me."

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka says. "Of course I was going to do whatever I wanted with my vote, if you were that dense to give it to me!"

"Here's what I don't understand, Shinji," Jet remarks. "You voted for Asuka, knowing full well that your vote would not count. What was the point of that?"

"I wanted to be able to tell Ami that I voted with their alliance," Shinji sighs. "It wasn't the right choice."

"That's an understatement," Jet replies. "It cost you your spot in this game. It was perhaps the dumbest move in Survivor history."

"Well, it shouldn't be a surprise, considering who made that move," Asuka comments. "Only an idiot would give away the immunity plushie."

"And speaking of the immunity plushie, one of my assistants has it," Jet says. "Bring it up here!"

Soi Fon, captain of the Soul Society's Squad 2, walks up to the stage in her usual angry mood and hands Kon to Jet.

"This plushie was a true survivor, as well," Jet remarks. "He went through a lot, including being thrown into the fire, but he is back to being brand new. I want to thank Kon for his help during the course of this show."

"Hey, where's my payment for all my work?" Kon asks.

"Plushies don't get paid," Jet replies.

"What do you mean?" Kon screams. "I deserve more money than these players! This is an outrage! This-"

Jet tosses the shouting Kon into the crowd, where he is pulled at by several people.

"Now, let's get back to business," Jet says. "We saw a severe injury during this game, when Captain Hitsugaya here fought the demon Sesshomaru. Toshiro was injured badly, but he refused treatment, and somehow managed to survive despite his injuries. Toshiro, I must say, I am impressed with your perserverance through that situation."

"As a Captain, I should be able to survive something like that," Toshiro replies. "My spiritual pressure is extremely high."

"Sesshomaru was sure to cause trouble, but I didn't plan on him hurting you that badly," Jet comments.

"Wait a minute, you planned on him causing us trouble?" Toshiro asks.

"I guess the truth had to come out sometime," Jet responds. "An assistant of mine and colleague of yours, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, helped upgrade Sesshomaru's Tokijin in order for it to have enough spiritual pressure to stand up against your attacks, after you defeated him so badly the first time. That is why he was able to defeat you, despite your immense spiritual pressure."

Toshiro's face turns bright red. "I can't believe this," he grumbles. "The host of this game set me up to get embarrassed and hurt like that!"

"That wasn't fair!" Kagome shouts at Jet. "You could have killed Toshiro!"

"Well, this game is a test of survival, isn't it?" a grinning Jet asks. "Now, changing the subject…"

As he says this, both Toshiro and Kagome stare angrily at him.

"…we had a failed romance as well in this game," Jet continues. "Makoto had dreams of starting a relationship with Tenchi, but that failed miserably, didn't it?"

"And it's all your fault!" Makoto yells at Jet. "You had that stupid feather-girl put jewels in my food that caused me to lose control of myself!"

"Hey, I didn't think Tenchi wanted a relationship with you anyway, isn't that right, Tenchi?" Jet asks.

"Um, well, uh, ha ha ha…" the ever-indecisive Tenchi replies.

As Tenchi waffles, Jet moves on to his next subject. "An interesting twist we added was the trip into the heart of Mt. Hakurei," he says. "Both Asuka and Ami made trips inside the mountain. What was it like in there, Asuka?"

"What do you think?" Asuka responds angrily. "It was awful! There were demons everywhere, and some guy in a baboon suit. It was a terrible time for me!"

"You have to experience it to know how bad it truly was," Ami adds. "It was one of the most wretched places I've ever been in my life."

"And for you, Ami, it was fruitless, as you ended up with a fake version of our immunity plushie," Jet comments. "At least Asuka got the real one."

"Thank you for rubbing it in," Ami replies sarcastically.

"Now, onto another thing that was of huge importance in this game, the alliances," Jet says. "At the merge, we had the four members of the former Seireitei tribe allied against five members of the former Jurai tribe, with Asuka on her own. This led to you being voted out, Orihime, before the Jurai alliance self-destructed. If they had gone after someone else in your alliance, you may have made it very far."

"I know that things may have turned out better for me if I was a little luckier, but I was happy to make it at least to the jury," Orihime remarks. "I really enjoyed this game a lot, regardless of how far I went."

"We wish you would have been able to make it farther, though," Sango tells Orihime. "We just got unlucky and had Ed and Temari voted out right before the merge."

"A lot of bizarre circumstances with those two votes," Jet comments. "Ed getting lied to, then losing a tiebreaker."

"Yeah, we were convinced Shinji wanted to go home, otherwise we would have voted for Sasami," Ed mentions. "But it was all part of the game. I was angry immediately after it happened, but since then I realized Shinji just played it better than me. Good job, Shinji."

"Uh, thanks," the ever-nervous Shinji replies.

"By the way, about Shinji, his world ended up just fine, as there were no Angels attacking anyway," Jet adds. "But things did not end up fine for the Seireitei alliance, as they ended up with only four going to the merge after Temari lost after a three-way tie."

"I was at a distinct disadvantage," Temari comments. "I did not know Naruto well, or anyone else naturally, so I was on my own. That forced me to have to try to get multiple alliances, and none of them seemed to work. I guess if I had voted for Asuka, instead of with her, I would have made it, but this game's so difficult to predict."

"That's an understatement," Jet says. "Who would have thought that Seireitei would vote out their strongest member, Armstrong, as their second one ousted?"

"It was a surprise to me, too," Armstrong replies. "What happened was a case of my alliance not being as strong as the one that voted me out. And as you can see, the ones who were part of the other alliance - Toshiro, Sango, Kagome and Orihime – all made the merge. They simply were smarter than our alliance."

"Now there were a few of you who didn't get much time out here, nor much support," Jet says. "Naruto and Brock, you were the only two to be voted out unanimously. What was it that made you outsiders in your tribe?"

"I guess I came across the wrong way with my confidence," Naruto answers. "But someday I'll be the next Hokage! Believe it!"

"I tried flirting too much," Brock remarks. "That made me a target, as it turns out."

"And as for you, Ash, you were the first one voted out," Jet comments. "That had to be very disappointing."

"Brock and I just didn't get allied with anyone," Ash replies. "That's why he got voted out right after me – we were the outsiders of the tribe."

"Okay, now it's time to reveal the winner of our popularity prize," Jet announces. "We have had voting by the fans to determine the most popular Survivor, who will receive a bonus money prize to go with what they have already won. And the finalists are… Ed, Kagome and Toshiro!"

The crowd cheers loudly as the three names are revealed.

"And here is the winner of the prize," Jet says. "It is… Kagome!"

The crowd erupts upon hearing this. Kagome smiles warmly.

"Thank you all!" she calls out to the fans.

"That means that you will receive double the amount that you would have received," Jet tells Kagome. "Congratulations."

"She definitely deserves it," Toshiro adds.

"All right, we've had a great season with lots of excitement," Jet says. "Any final thoughts from the players?"

"This was a lot more rewarding than I could have ever imagined," Kagome replies.

"It was well-worth everything I went through," Toshiro remarks.

"Winning this game is something I'll never forget," Sango comments.

"Okay, thank you all for participating and making Survivor: Feudal Japan such an exciting season," Jet says. "I also want to thank those who helped out on our crew along the way, including Soi Fon, Retsu Unohana, Rangiku Matsumoto, Sabrina, Erika, Spike Spiegel, Roy Mustang, Rei Ayanami, Kagura, Naraku, Sesshomaru, Haruhi Suzumiya, Keroberos, and, of course, Kon. Thank you for watching, and good night!"

The crowd claps, and the Survivor song "Ancient Voices" plays to end the show.


End file.
